A House to Gaze at the Sky

The Bauer House reflects not only a luxurious residence but also a testament to the harmony between the natural environment and modern architecture. The 4,000 square meter plot offers the perfect space for this impressive dwelling, which was conceived taking into account the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the growing need for versatile and integrated spaces for remote work.

The house is set on the terrain, without overlapping floors, only following the gentle natural slope. The extensive layout is distributed around a square, which interconnects the spaces organically, providing a sense of fluidity and harmony to the environment. A slight unevenness separates the intimate areas from the social ones, without barriers, only a grand staircase that spans the entire width of the square.

The orthogonal features of the project led us to design a large flat roof, starting at the intimate level and extending towards the social area, allowing for a generous ceiling height in the living space.

One of the most striking features of the Bauer House is its orthogonal structure, highlighted by a broad flat roof that extends from the intimate to the social area, providing a generous ceiling height in the living space. The skillful use of glued laminated timber (GLT) in eucalyptus in the roof structure demonstrates not only stability but also a commitment to sustainability, reducing material waste.

The emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability is notable, with the implementation of cross ventilation systems that promote natural air circulation, reducing the reliance on air conditioning. Solar heating panels and photovoltaic cells have been installed to control energy consumption, ensuring not only lasting performance but also an environmentally conscious approach.

Credits:

Project Name: Bauer House
Location: Indaiatuba, São Paulo, Brazil
Project Year: 2022
Area: 1000 m²
Designed by: Luiz Paulo Andrade Arquitetos
Photography: Leonardo Finotti

Property Blog

Miner Road

The clients are a couple of environmental scientists who, along with their two sons, relocated from the Oakland Hills to the warmer climate of Orinda. Their commitment to sustainability, including a request for net-zero energy performance annually, was evident in their thinking throughout the design process. A three-bedroom program began as a remodel of a 1954 ranch house at the foot of a hill next to a seasonal creek.  After finding the existing structure and soils to be unsuitable, the direction settled on reusing the existing footprint under the shade of a Valley Oak that had grown up close to the original house. The surviving portion of the original house is the fireplace which was wrapped in concrete and utilized for structural support. This made additional grading unnecessary and allowed the new house to maintain the same intimate relation to the old oak.  The family desired an open living layout that connected directly to the landscape. A mezzanine plan evolved with a double height family space nested with a master bedroom and study stacked above the kitchen and nook. A screened pacing deck for long phone calls shades the upper level from afternoon summer sun. Downstairs, secondary bedrooms along an extendable hallway, wrap an outdoor dining area situated between the kitchen and family room.  Construction materials and methods were considered in balance between first and lifecycle costs. The Corten steel rain screen for the exterior skin and interior wood were chosen to take advantage of zero annual maintenance cost and a shotcrete foundation allowed formwork to be repurposed for wood framing.  Single use material selections such as the Corten steel and shotcrete foundation reduced complexity in detailing and labor costs allowing a larger portion of the budget to be reallocated for upgraded mechanical, insulation, and glazing systems. The same attitude for interior finishes produced acoustically insulated, unfinished oak ceilings and walls. The sum total of the limited and landscape-driven materials presents a relaxed and quiet built environment that allows the senses to focus on the natural environment. A haptic connection to the rhythms of our planet is evident.  A 14-gauge Corten rain screen provides a no-maintenance skin. High levels of insulation and glazing efficiency reduce heating and cooling loads. An 8.1kW photovoltaic system provides on-site renewable energy and produced more electrical energy than the house used the first year. Rainwater is collected via a waterfall from the roof at the end of the hallway. Buried tanks store water for use in toilets and laundry. Greywater is collected separately and reused for irrigation. Electronically commutated motors and variable speed heat pumps are used to further limit energy use and control heating and cooling. An energy recovery ventilator is used to provide fresh air.