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Utilizing raw concrete and glass, Felipe Rodrigues has designed a family home and adjoining guest house that stand overlooking the majestic Mantiqueira Mountains in Brazil.
In embrace of the sloping plot upon which it was built, ‘The Moenda House’ is staggered both vertically and horizontally against the hillside. The two separate volumes of the home were the architect’s response to the client’s wish for an independent guesthouse: “The client suggested two independent yet interconnected blocks. The first, which will be used more often, is for the owners, while the second is for guests” Rodrigues explains. The main home is comprised of a double story building fitted with floor to ceiling windows and polished stone floors. From the upper story, a Mies van der Rohe inspired balcony cantilevers towards a horizon silhouetted by mountains. For both Rodrigues and his clients, one of the project’s main goals was “to draw the landscape inside the building”, this has been achieved through both the materials and structure of the building. On the lower level, glass wraps around three sides of the living area, granting an uninterrupted view to mountains beyond. Concrete screens, comprised of bricks with decorative openings, filter sunlight into the home whilst allowing for extra ventilation in the Brazilian heat, and on the final staggered platform lies an infinity pool — the ultimate connection to nature.
