The idea of working with a typology of patio house came up during our visited a condominium on Barra Grande beach, in Bahia. Spending our days there we felt the climatic conditions of the place and the dynamics of the residents' flow.

We wanted to adapt the future house to the movement of the sun during the day, bringing natural light in all areas of the house, but controlling its incidence during peak hours. Also, it was very important to “capture” the fresh winds that come from the sea to passively cool all spaces in the house. The natural thermal comfort of the house was further enhanced by the creation of an inside patio garden with moist vegetation and pounds with water, thus creating a microclimate of the house.

On the other hand, in a condominium of medium / high density, with houses that are very close to each other, the type of patio house favors the creation of an intimate semi-open environment taking advantage of the occupancy rate maximum area of the land.

Thus was born Casa Patio Barra Grande, with its 350m2 of covered and semi-covered areas, access deck on the external perimeter of the house and an internal one interconnecting all inhouse spaces. From the outside, the house can be fully opened by sliding walls, allowing maximum cross ventilation and visual transparency with its surroundings. And when desired, the house closes completely creating total privacy and security, becoming a monolith, however, still permeable for natural ventilation thanks to the wooden panels over the openings and structural modulation.

The structure of the house and the external closings are made of treated eucalyptus logs. The deck, also made of eucalyptus, is superimposed on a black stone, which makes it elevated from the ground. The lightness of the house is also due to the use of thermoacoustic tiles with aluminum finish, optimizing the amount of wood used in the structure and ensuring thermal comfort and durability. The landscape design is based on valuing and reinforcing the presence of endemic plants on site and reforesting the house surrounded with native trees.

Thinking about the meaning of a house today, we have to envision the flexibility and ease of transformation of use already in the design phase. Casa Patios functional program is evolving. It means that the project is thought to be built in phases; first the structure and external closings with internal partitions of the services, for a first period of family housing. With this phase completed, the house is already prepared for future presets (suggested by the client); it can be a house of 1 or 4 bedrooms, a space for residences and workshops, a Bed & Breakfast as well as an adventure travel agency thanks to the opening of the facade that opens with wheels and counterweights, allowing entry into the inner courtyard with horses and kayaks!

Commissioned by: MK

Format: Casa

Job: Arquitetura

Project team Atelier Marko Brajovic 

Creative Director: Marko Brajovic

Project Director: Bruno Bezerra

Collaborator architects: Arthur Campos, Vitoria Mendes, Abhisek Singh