Nuno M. Sousa . photos: © Nuno M. Sousa
Roberto is my friend since the Delft days.
He says we’ve met in Albert Heijn’s cash register while waiting our turn to pay for the classic pasta, “jupiter” and canned tuna. I thought it was on our weekend football 7×7 at the incredible sports center the TU has. We have been friends since those Erasmus days.
One regular day with no big story, Roberto sent me photographs of this plot in Ratones, Florianópolis. He wanted a new home in a mountain setting, not so far from the coast.
For me, without actually visiting the site, the whole process started and ended in a surreal state – my mind could not process the fact that it was happening in that intangible landscape.
One straight line as a house – a white wall. One curved line as a plateau that creates a social area around the pool and leaves the natural descending topography around it.
A split-paved promenade lead to two opposite porches on each side of the house. On the other side, a long stretched porch connects all the interior areas to the swimming pool semicircle. An intimate low space that also works as an sun protection to the glazed facade.
Inside, only white walls and concrete floor and slab. The finishing is raw and simple, as they only can be when you are very far away from the construction site.
Last February I could finally visit the gray cardboard model, the goofy sketchup ‘print screens’, the printed plans and sections, and WhatsApp annotations.
It was very good to finally meet Laurinha, Romeo and Lucas.
And of course, the house.
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Harambee
Florianópolis
Brasil
2021–2023
team:
Nuno M. Sousa
Ana Dias
Diogo Veiga
photography:
Nuno M. Sousa
