Brazilian studio KS Arquitetos has designed a house in Porto Alegre that is raised on stilts so that it overlooks the treetops and Lake Guaíba.
The Mirador house was built on a steep slope overlooking Lake Guaíba, a waterway in southern Brazil.
To accommodate this land, KS Arquitetos built the house on stilts of steel.
“The concept of Mirador House arises from the idea of a house that floats at the level of the surrounding treetops,” explained the locally-based studio.
Two volumes form the narrow house and are connected by an elevated walkway for added convenience.
The first, closest to the street, contains the garage above a storage room, while the other contains the living spaces of the residents. In total, the house covers 850 square meters.
A long ramp descends on two levels from the street to a covered patio designed as the main outdoor gathering space of the house.
“This road leads first to the atrium, a large space under the social area that reveals an incredible view,” said KS Arquitetos. “From there it is possible to access the house or continue through the trees to a secret beach, where a strip of sand and rocks touch the Guaíba.”
A black steel staircase leads from this covered space to an open concept kitchen, living room and dining room that occupies the entire width of the second volume.
Tucked away from the living room is a home office, which overlooks the ramp to the house.
In this space, KS Arquitetos used an austere palette that includes black painted structural steel, exposed cinder blocks, and wood floors.
Towards the views, a full height glass wall can be opened in good weather.
“The large openings in the residence are like frames for the landscape,” said KS Arquitetos. “When the windows overlooking the lake are open, the sound of silence is only interrupted by the chirping of birds.”
On the top floor are four bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom. This level is at the same elevation as the garage, providing a secondary access route into the house.
From the main outdoor space under the house, another staircase leads to a room partly built into the slope of the site, which serves as a music studio.
This volume of exposed concrete stands out from the rest of the structure, in addition to offering a certain separation between the rehearsal space and the rest of the family.
Other houses in the city of Porto Alegre include a house which has been fitted out to accommodate a century-old fig tree and a duplex loft with a sculptural black staircase at its center.
The photograph is from Roberta gewehr.
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