WEEKEND HOUSE BY SPBR

A peaceful weekend home...in the middle of a busy Brazilian metropolis? It exists!

When building the Weekend House in busy São Paulo, Brazil, local architecture firm SPBR was tasked with creating an end-of-week haven for a client that did not want to spend the weekend in traffic jams. Therefore, the inclusion of a solarium, garden and swimming pool were absolutely essential to the layout.

Confronted with a tightly zoned site that was shaded by neighboring buildings all day long, the possibility of having a swimming pool at ground level was undesirable due to lack of sun exposure. Fortunately, the six-meter zoning height offered the architects a unique solution – they placed a swimming pool on the sun-drenched rooftop.

The ground level was kept free from construction in order to maximize the exterior garden space, thus dividing the residence into three distinct areas: encompassed exterior space (garden) on the first level, central living space on the second level and open exterior space on the final level (swimming pool and solarium).

The structure functions in delicate equilibrium. The volume of the swimming pool balances the mass of living space, while the layered water elements and waterfalls unite the three different levels. The ground floor opens entirely to unite with the garden, but privacy is kept in the massive second level. The whole creates a surprisingly relaxed microcosm in the middle of an urban jungle.