This 484-Square-Foot Tiny House in Brazil Is as Sculptural as it Is Sustainable

ByMyProperty Life

Gustavo Penna Architect & Associates uses reclaimed mining waste to create a minimalist masterpiece on a spectacular site.

Set on a grassy hillside in Ouro Branco, Brazil, this 484-square-foot home that Gustavo Penna Architect and Associates designed for Gerdau, an international steel production company, is an exercise in artful reuse. “The house is built from the byproducts of mining,” architect Gustavo Penna says. “It’s part of Gerdau’s environmental education program, which aims to create new concepts in sustainability.”

Architect Gustavo Penna designed a 484-square-foot sustainable home in Brazil using glass and blocks made from mining waste and concrete.

Architect Gustavo Penna designed a 484-square-foot sustainable home in Brazil using glass and blocks made from mining waste and concrete.

Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

Jomar Bragança

Penna and his team crafted the home using a solution of iron ore residue and concrete developed in partnership with Gerdau and The Mining Engineering Department of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The material was formed into large blocks that were stacked to create the home’s siding.

“Finding an ecologically appropriate use for these wastes determines the unique character of the house,” Penna says. “It also has solar heating, natural ventilation, power generation, biodigesters, composting tanks, and a rainwater collection system,” Penna says.

The home’s exterior is composed of stacked blocks made from mining waste and concrete. A glass wall on the rear facade contrasts with the blocks and facilitates an indoor/outdoor connection.
Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

The home’s exterior is composed of stacked blocks made from mining waste and concrete. A glass wall on the rear facade contrasts with the blocks and facilitates an indoor/outdoor connection. 

Jomar Bragança

The home presents as minimalist, geometric sculpture set in a verdant, wooded landscape. “It’s in an environmental preserve in front of a dam,” Penna says. “The living room integrates with the garden.” The dam-facing rear facade is sided with glass, which creates an indoor/outdoor connection and contrasts with the iron-ore blocks that define the other three facades.

A glass wall on the rear facade ties the compact home to the lush landscape and frames views of mountains, trees, and a lake.
Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

A glass wall on the rear facade ties the compact home to the lush landscape and frames views of mountains, trees, and a lake.

Jomar Bragança

See the full story on Dwell.com: This 484-Square-Foot Tiny House in Brazil Is as Sculptural as it Is Sustainable

Similar Posts

  • Ballard Residence

    This was a 285 s.f. rear yard addition to an existing house, adding a family/dining room out back, and a roof deck above. It sits a half-floor below the main floor, allowing easy access to the backyard, and its new stairs to the basement replace the demo’d old stairs down from the kitchen, which opened up a lot of usable space there. Highlights of the project include the Panoramic folding-glass door wall, opening out to the new back yard terrace; the steel stairs (fabricated by the owner’s father) with thick fir treads; the vertical grain oak kitchen cabinets, with an island on casters, and eating bar overlooking the new room below; the new roof deck; and the standing-seam metal siding.

  • Breezy Open Design: House with Two Patios Overlooks the Pacific

    Every home demands something different in terms of both its design and overall orientation depending on the lot it sits on and the landscape that surrounds it. Sometimes you open up the house towards the spectacular views outside and on other occasions you create a façade that promotes privacy. In case of this particular contemporary […]

    You’re reading Breezy Open Design: House with Two Patios Overlooks the Pacific, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  • Budget Townhouses on the Edge of a Golf Course Offer a Relaxing Escape

    If you are an avid golfer, then the idea of living on the edge of a golf course is one that would seem pretty appealing; probably even a dream come true! Of course, you might have to be more honest with where you are headed since you cannot get away with a day at the […]

    You’re reading Budget Townhouses on the Edge of a Golf Course Offer a Relaxing Escape, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.