Project: Jatoba House
Conclusion Year: 2021
Built Area: 583m²
Location: Porto Feliz, Sp, Brazil
Photography: Denilson Machado – Mca Studio
About Studio Guilherme Torres
Founded in 2001, Studio Guilherme Torres develops projects in the most diverse areas, from architecture to design. The company is personified in the figure of its founder, a perfectionist. On his left arm, a great tattoo says, through the words extracted from a Daft Punk’s song, “work it, harder, better, faster, make it over”. This unofficial motto describes your ethics and commitment to quality which is readily apparent in your work.
Minimal details and palettes of rich but reserved materials that characterize his work are consistently applied in single-family homes, interior projects, and retail projects Balancing the rigorous aesthetics of architecture, a certain playful lightness can be found in the interior design of your projects.
The crisp shapes and subtle surfaces provide a suitably quiet backdrop to the lively furniture inside, while carefully planned spaces benefit from astute attention to natural light. Suspended volumes and few but notable lines are its trademarks that seek, in his projects, to investigate the limits of materials.
Located in Fazenda Boa Vista, a high-end condominium in the interior of São Paulo, Jatobá House rises with its simple lines and imposing volumes in the middle of the Atlantic forest. Far from the big city, the country house has escapism as its mantra: every detail brings a relaxing atmosphere, where residents can disconnect and enjoy nature in its purest and simplest form.
The design of the project started from a large block, which evolved volumetrically and became fragmented, thus occupying the entire land. The five large white cube-shaped blocks that characterize the project were then created: each one of them is a suite that works independently. Thus, the privacy and comfort of the family, formed by a young couple with two teenage children, are preserved.
A large wall made of rammed earth, made with sand and earth from the site itself, surrounds the entire house and also forms part of the structure. This millennial technique creates a unique identity, as there is nothing like it anywhere in the world, both in terms of aesthetics – the coloring and spacing of the layers – and in size. For this method to become possible, due to the size and proportion of the construction, state-of-the-art adhesives were used to increase the resistance and durability of the material.
The house is made of CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), which are wooden boards intertwined and pressed at high temperature and pressure. This forms the slab and the entire structural part of the project, replacing concrete with raw wood.
The veranda preaches the concept of total integration, with a dining room and TV room (requested by the client) separated by a large multipurpose bar with its surface covered in flamed granite. The result exceeded expectations: a sunken room was created with a large masonry sofa, where futons were placed. And best of all, the space is 100% open and opens completely to the outside area. On rainy days, all built-ins lower and close the entire environment.
The leisure area has a sauna, a spa, and a pool on three levels with a beautiful waterfall, all with a privileged view of the beautiful nature that surrounds the house. One of the highlights is the floor, made with pieces of basalt — the predominant stone in the Moon’s soil — that cover the entire perimeter of the project. Really, walking through the corridors of Jatobá House is like floating on lunar soil: the feeling of calm, far from all civilization, is the same.
The idea of the country house is to live a more organic and playful life, but we don’t forget about sustainability. The project runs on photovoltaic energy, and the beautiful lakes scattered throughout the land are not simply ornamental, they are also rainwater retardant tanks. That is, all the water used is reused.
The interior design is mostly authorial, including several pieces designed by the architect. The big stars are the Supernova table, in a special and exclusive edition made in washed freijo, combined with the Orbe Chairs. They are perfectly juxtaposed with established Brazilian designs, such as the Vivi and Zeca armchairs, by Sérgio Rodrigues and Zanine Caldas. Handmade works of art, made by indigenous people from villages close to the site, were chosen to create unique compositions, combining with the colors and raw materials of the project, such as rustic wood, earthen walls and structural block walls without beams.
