prefabrication and low-impact design in the atlantic forest

casa caiçara

type: architecture
role: architectural and computational designer
collaboration: SUBdV Architecture
location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
year: 2021

The casa caiçara was developed when I was working at SUBdV Architecture. Located about three hours from São Paulo, in Barra do Sahy, the site sits within the Atlantic Forest and has limited car access. Due to the challenges of material transportation and our goal of prefabricating elements off-site in São Paulo for on-site assembly, we plan to introduce four detached bedrooms.

Construction is restricted on the steeper areas of the site, as they fall within Brazil’s 33-meter coastal protection zone, which prohibits new developments. We propose two pavilions to adapt to these constraints, each housing two bedrooms and bathrooms. The existing building will be repurposed for shared common spaces, including the kitchen, living room, and balcony.

Our approach prioritizes minimal environmental impact, ensuring no trees are removed during construction. The design below is an earlier project version and may not reflect the most recent updates.

location

site plan

Existing building renovation + two decks + pavilion 1

sun exposure analysis

design process

initial form:

Pavilion plan: two small rooms + two bathrooms
Generating the form by connecting points
Triangular faces

opening areas:

Removing faces for ventilation
Radiation in each face (Ladybug)
Arches according to radiation analysis (Kangaroo)

structure:

Timber structure
Internal walls
External walls

roof:

Rafters
Shingles
Shingles

renders

team

3D Modelling: Camila Calegari Marques
Coordinators: Anne Save de Beaurecueil and Franklin Lee (SUBdV Architecture)

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