Text descriptions provided by Studio Guilherme Torres.

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The conceptual inspiration for the FU House project was simple and playful: we divided the narrow, massive and long program of the house into three blocks with single pitched roofs, as if they were part of a children's set of wooden modules. The project's volumes are high and fully open, with large windows that allow the incidence of abundant sunlight and integration with nature.

 

One particularity of the site is that it is very narrow and crosses the block, entering through two streets. At first, the program mimicked the shape of the lot ‑ long and narrow ‑ so we divided the house into three volumes according to their functions. The living room is above the garage and is integrated with a suspended swimming pool in the leisure area. The other two blocks consist of the guest bedrooms and the master suite for the couple, respectively.

 

The living volume is part of the home's façade, and opens completely onto the recreation area with an above‑ground swimming pool. The living room is the first block of the single elevated floor of the residence, where all the family's life happens. The furniture was handpicked together with the clients, such as the Otto sofa by Guilherme Torres and the Up 5 armchair by Gaetano Pesce.

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When we conceptualize an architectural project, we always deliver along with the custom interior design. With the FU House it was no different, just for one simple detail. This is the second house we created for the clients, and they made sure to bring the signed furniture from their old home for this new moment in their lives.

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The master suite volume is located at the back of the lot, which ensures the couple's privacy without giving up the integration of the space with the gardens through large retractable glass frames. The materials were few, but used generously ‑ the same Pinus wood was applied to both the inside and outside of the house. For the interior design, we chose a mix between classic and contemporary furniture in neutral colors, which match the architecture of the project and transmit the personality of the residents. The central idea for the layout was the deconstruction of the initial program, which followed the design of the terrain. Thus, we sectioned the volume into three blocks according to their functions.

We reinterpreted the client's request for a single‑story house and created a short flight of stairs through the garage, which is on the top floor, as an access to the elevated first floor. To unite the social volumes, a flat slab runs across the entire site and between the gardens, another desire of the couple that would not be possible without this new volumetric movement.

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The conceptual model highlights the principles of volumetric conception of the project, but mainly, the slightly uneven topography of the terrain. One of the clients' requests was to have a ground floor house, so we reinterpreted this desire by creating a unique and continuous raised floor, respecting the slope of the terrain and providing a unique experience. The conceptual illustrations were inspired by the architecture and materiality of the project itself. The focal point was Pinus wood with Shou Sugi Ban, a Japanese technique that consists in burning the light wood, achieving a distinctive dark tone and ensuring a longer life to the material without using any chemical product.

The three volumes with one‑water roofs that make up the residence stand out even more with the coating, which creates a game of shadow and light depending on the angle from which the project is observed.​​

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Architecture: Guilherme Torres | Rendering: Moviza Studio | Visual Art / Artistic Production: Abner Juan Bobato

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Private Residence | 2021 | 424m² | Umuarama, PR - Brazil / guilhermetorres.com/fuhouse