Itapetinga, Bahia, Brazil
2022
This house is located on a large family fazenda, or farm, in a savannah region of Bahia state, in Brazil. The biome region is a dry area of the Mata Atlântica, or Atlantic Forest, a forest that was the second largest rainforest on the planet when the Portuguese first encountered it 500 years ago. The area is now heavily deforested.
Traditional houses in this region have large roofs in response to the region’s two seasons: they shed torrential rains during the wet season, and provide shade during the hot dry season. However, new houses in the region follow the global suburban paradigm of ignoring local climate. In the face of harsh climate change, it is now obvious that this way of building has become unsustainable.
Our solution seeks to reconnect the family to the site’s natural climate cycles. We do this in a way that will make the house resilient to increasing rain events in the wet season and increasing heat in dry seasons. The roof of our house directs large water flows to planted areas; this extra water will support thriving vegetation and new trees that will further shade the house. The roof eaves mimic the lines of vegetation and provide a trellis for plantings to further blur the edge of the house and ground. The other site elements: churrasco, pool, areas for animals, and areas for outdoor play also benefit from the roof’s direction of water and filtering of sun.
The house is also sited to maximize natural ventilation: it is on the highest ground of the fazenda and is oriented to the prevailing winds.