SJ House / ME Arquitetura

Architects: ME Arquitetura
Area: 11668 ft
Year: 2024
Photographs: Larisa Sad – Urban Sadness
Lead Architects: Maria Eduarda Oliveira
Category: Houses
Lighting Project: Dessine
Frames: Talentus
Automation Project: Vansati
Landscaping Project: Ana Paula Roseo
Country: Brazil

SJ House, a weekend country residence designed by ME Arquitetura, applies a minimalist concrete structure to frame a retreat for a large family. The project emphasizes a restrained material palette, with exposed concrete used throughout walls, floors, and ceilings. To contrast the brutalist surfaces, cumaru wood is introduced in the doors and woodwork. The layout includes six suites on the first floor and three on the ground floor, accommodating extended family gatherings. A eucalyptus pergola and natural stone pool enhance the retreat atmosphere. A rooftop firepit, oriented in the same direction as the first-floor bedrooms, offers views toward the nearby National Park.

SJ House was conceived as a weekend retreat in the countryside. Constructed entirely from concrete, the project emphasizes a minimalist approach, reinforced by a deliberately limited material palette.

To counterbalance the brutalist quality of the concrete used for the walls, floor, and ceiling, cumaru wood was applied in the doors and woodwork, adding warmth and texture. Designed to accommodate a large family, the program includes six suites on the first floor and three suites on the ground floor.

At the center of the house, the main social area, which includes a TV area, living room, dining room, and kitchen, was designed to function as a central gathering space for the entire family.

A eucalyptus pergola and a natural stone pool reinforce the sense of escape and presence, promoting disconnection from daily routines. A rooftop firepit shares the same view as the first-floor bedrooms, oriented toward the natural landscape of a nearby National Park.