Project: Metálica House
Architects: Matheus Farah + Manoel Maia Arquitetura
Location: Porto Feliz, Brazil
Area: 10,785 sf
Year: 2020
Photographs by: Leonardo Finotti
Metálica House by Matheus Farah + Manoel Maia Arquitetura
Designed by Matheus Farah + Manoel Maia Arquitetura, the Metálica House is a beautiful modern dwelling located in the town of Porto Feliz in Brazil. This single-story dwelling offers just under 11,000 square feet of luxurious living spaces.
Matheus Farah e Manoel Maia Arquitetura and Construtora Gaia started a partnership in 2019 in order to develop innovative building methods, based on sustainability and efficiency. The idea was to reduce construction time and costs while fighting against wasting material from the traditional construction process. The first result of this initiative can be appreciated inland at Fazenda Boa Vista, a residential resort near São Paulo city, where Metálica House is based.
More than a simple combination of prefabricated pillars and beams, the method allows the composition of complete rooms, with installations, framings, closures, and coating, by using wooden, cement, and steel components. From that, it is possible to explore multiple plan arrangements, combining rooms according to the land’s peculiarities and client’s requirements, providing a unique personality to each project.
In a location marked by the natural landscape, the house establishes a harmonious relationship with its surroundings, in a way that it can be appreciated from both social and private areas – without compromising privacy. For this, it was set in an “L” shaped implantation, settling the layout in 3 blocks under a roof.
The constituting blocks of the house volumetry were designated based on their main functions. The first block includes areas that guarantee its functioning, such as the kitchen, laundry room, and storage. In this way, they are introduced with discretion – except for the kitchen, which opens to the dining room.
Meanwhile, the second block is designated for recreation areas to the owners and guests; even though it is less guarded than the first one, it maintains the intimacy and tranquility required. The sauna, massage room, and hot tub area are interconnected by sliding panels that control the level of privacy and lightning desired.
Finally, the third block is reserved for the most private place of the house, where five suites are placed. While the master suite has a private veranda, the others have verandas facing the pool.
Together, the 3 blocks are guarded under a metallic roof that guarantees shelter, and also works as an articulator element to the layout organization – creating, in the reminiscent spaces between blocks, social and permanence areas. Integrated, these spaces keep straight connection and flexibility with each other, ensuring a relation with the surrounding landscape through glass panels and wooden brises-Soleil, an element that brings movement to the façade.
The large span includes living and dining rooms connected to a wide external area, separated by glass panels, without any fixed walls. The veranda has, on one side, a gourmet area with a beautiful view; on the other, an indoor garden, bringing to interior native plants from Brazilian flora (present throughout the landscaping project). This space opens the way to the deck, where the pool and whirlpool are located and equipped with sofas and chaises, composing a pleasant living area.
The agility provided by this constructive system allowed the delivery of the complete house within 10 months after the project approval, proving the efficiency of the construction method from modular industrial components.
