At one of the high points of Serra da Mantiqueira, in the city of São Francisco Xavier, SP, the country house seems to land on a 30-acre plot. Focused on sustainability, the 380m² building was built on different levels to avoid large cuts in the sloping plot, which would interfere with the natural topography. “The owners chose the highest location on the slope, where they could better enjoy the view of the mountain region, with good sunlight and an area in front to create the lake”, says architect José Cláudio Falchi, who designed the L-shaped house, facing facing the valley, with a deck in the central void, onto which most rooms open.
With a gabled roof, the construction is simple, but has sophisticated details, such as the main walls of rough stones, collected from the region's pastures, erected by local labor. With a thickness of 40 to 50 cm, they are self-supporting and add to the auxiliary concrete structures and the secondary masonry walls made of thick mass bricks. Left unplastered in interiors, the stones gain more than just an aesthetic function. “They have interesting thermal characteristics: they keep the heat from the fireplace in winter and stay cold in summer, making the environments pleasant”, explains the architect. For constant ventilation in the rooms, he designed balcony doors, some with bipartite shutters, like a carriage house, which allow opening only at the top.
Another sustainable concern of the project appears in the reuse of materials: some are from demolished houses in Paraná, such as the ipê floor and the riga pine door. “We use demolition wood and eucalyptus trunks as beams, which are visible in the ceiling and in the large frames”, says José Cláudio. He opted for the transparency of the glass to close the social spaces without blocking the view of the outside. “I installed the fireplace in a wooden structure with glass in the living room, where the valley landscape is most beautiful,” he explains. The same type of frame appears in the main entrance, on the side of the house.
From the living room, on the central axis, the distribution of environments takes place. The couple's suite is located at one end of the L, on the front facade, on the same level as the living room. “I left the social area open. Going up three steps, you reach the dining room, which is only separated from the kitchen by the wood stove”, explains the architect. At the dining room level, next to the TV room, two suites occupy the other end of the house. From the bedrooms and living room , just go down three steps to reach the balcony and four more to go to the deck. From there, stone stairs lead to the sauna, in an adjoining building, and, a little further down, to the lake with an ipê pergola on concrete stilts.
Wood floor
Entrance | The riga pine door, obtained from demolition in Paraná, is fitted between the glass panels in a structure that mixes plump autoclaved eucalyptus trunks and demolition wood logs. The terrace floor has São Tomé mining stones. Playback: Edson Ferreira
Wood floor
Living room | Eucalyptus trunks stained Polisten, by Sayerlack, support the roof; the ceiling is made of wood wainscoting with synthetic enamel. Floor of demolition ipe strips. Mandala painting acquired on a trip to the East. Playback: Edson Ferreira
wooden floor about Tile flooring in Ponte vedra
Fireplace view | The fireplace is in the room with the most beautiful view of the valley. That's why Construflama's metal hood is fitted between glass panels in a demolition wood structure. From the deck you can see the fire on the base of refractory bricks. Furniture inherited from the family and also from the Pietà brand. Playback: Edson Ferreira
wooden floor
Dining Room | The wood stove separates this room from the kitchen, which has concrete shelves and masonry with a vermilion finish – cement burnt with pigment. All made by local labor. The chandelier and the table were created by the owner with leftovers from the work. Playback: Edson Ferreira
wooden floor
Kitchen | The skylight, with a glass panel embedded in the ceiling and tiles made of the same material, ensures greater entry of natural light into the sink area. Cabinets under the benches with ventilated doors designed by the architect and made by carpenters in the city. The floor is made of Euroville porcelain tiles. Playback: Edson Ferreira
