The project team presented a brief that required the creation of a unique residential house—a future home and shelter. The site where the object was located was an ordinary urban plot: flat, regular, without outstanding features, bordering a car-friendly street, and integrated into a hybrid urban landscape that appeared chaotic and mutable from different perspectives.
Faced with such a context, the design process proved to be quite complex. The main task was to transform a place lacking identity into a central point of life for its inhabitants, converting an anonymous urban plot into the only place one would want to live.
Defining clear initial data proved critically important. The decision was made to build the house entirely at ground level, distributing the living area across the entire plot. The designers aimed to protect the spaces from the immediate surroundings, ensuring privacy, while simultaneously strengthening the connection between the dwelling's interior and its private exterior space. The architectural concept is executed in a modern style, combined with the durability and sustainability of materials. Routes and functional zones were organized rationally, while maintaining visual and spatial continuity. The construction was conceived as a single entity that simultaneously emphasized the individuality of its parts through volumetric fragmentation and assigning distinct expressiveness to the kitchen, living room, and bedroom zones.
The residential house develops along the plot, following a clear sequence of functions and life scenarios structured according to daily life. These spaces are connected to each other through continuous and open passages, which reinforces a unique and distinctive lifestyle.
The structure closes on the northern quadrant, opening out onto the opposite quadrant, creating an interconnection between the inner and outer worlds. Terraces and a pool are organically integrated into the residential house, functioning as an extension of the interior space and enhancing visual and functional permeability.
The urban environment is not presented directly, but it is subtly felt, reminding one that the housing is embedded in a broader context and does not exist in isolation. The project acknowledges its location and establishes balanced relationships with it without losing the ability to form its own identity. This is apparently its main advantage: not to deny the surroundings, but to transform them, lending uniqueness, spatial, and architectural quality to a previously anonymous plot.
The result is a unique place designed for living, visiting, and enjoyment.
The Casa SJC project, executed by the firm Felipe Hess Arquitetos, was implemented in an already established urban condominium in the city of São José dos Campos. This lot had previous constructions, and its facade was influenced by the proximity of neighboring properties.
The conception of the project was structured based on these specific conditions, utilizing an orthogonal volume characterized by its geometry. The design opted not to use additional cladding beyond paint, with the overall reading of the set being defined through punctual subtractions in the volume.
Information about the project was provided by the development team.
