Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
Village House
A sprawling ranch along the Sorocaba River in São Paulo’s countryside, Village House plays in perfect harmony with its surroundings. Essentially open to the elements, it dissolves the barrier between indoors and outdoors through an intuitive layout fashioned after a medieval village.
The low-slung volume, designed by Studio MK27, is composed of eight separate boxes clad in locally sourced rugged stone and distributed under a single unifying canopy. They are further linked by “alleys and piazzas” that form both connecting passageways and moments for domestic life. The sheltering overhead concrete slab has a lovely wood grain imprint, which was achieved using a special studio-developed technique that lends the material a surprisingly rustic character — one complemented by the exposed aggregate in the polished poured-in-place concrete floor. Natural light and cross breezes flow in through squared voids in the perimeter and roof slab, and a number of living trees are planted throughout the corridors, their intricate shadows falling across the walls and floors to further strengthen the connection to the outdoors.
While the layout feels uniquely open and exposed, there is a quiet intimacy to the individual rooms (or “boxes,” i.e. the principal bedroom; a kitchen/dining/living room; a library; a wine cellar; a gym; two boxes housing five guest suites; and one containing the mechanical equipment, changing rooms, sauna and service areas). Accessed by sliding latticework panels and lined with warm wood panelling on the walls and ceilings, the private spaces have a rural charm all their own, with sophisticated wood furniture upholstered in natural fabrics and leather. Deepening the home’s boundary-blurring intentions, the rooftop is planted with peanut grass and features both solar thermal and photovoltaic panels to generate energy.
With minimal barriers to the outside world, Village House sets a new standard for living, one that establishes a strong sense of place and is as invigorating as it is intimate.
Team: Marcio Kogan and Lair Reis with Diana Radomysler and Luisa Vicentini
Essentially open to the elements, it dissolves the barrier between indoors and outdoors through an intuitive layout fashioned after a medieval village.
