Origami House folds into a narrow 3.6m plot in São Paulo
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

As cities grow more populated and housing plot availability continues to diminish, architects are doing their part to make the most of occupied space. One such firm is Brazilian duo AR Architects, which has inserted a new volume above an existing concrete ground-level property in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Alto da Boa Vista.
Only 3.6m wide, the narrow Origami House sits in the middle of a block of residential homes. The clients, a photographer and PR couple, tapped the firm to intelligently maximise their dwelling space with an extension that respected the environment.
The end result is the insertion of a new penthouse volume above the ground-floor kitchen, which houses a bedroom and study in the loft. When formulating the extension, AR Architects say they looked east, to Switzerland, for design inspiration.
‘At the time the project [was in motion], my partner Pablo had just returned from a trip in Switzerland, where he made a pilgrimage through the work of Peter Zumthor,’ reveals firm co-founder Marina Acayaba. ‘I think principally the building Shelters For Roman Archaeological Site was the most inspiring.’
Zumthor’s influence can certainly be seen, particularly in the slatted peroba wood exterior façade that shrouds the home’s new interior. When the timber screens unfold on the street-facing side, they reveal a set of lofty windows across the raised levels.
Beyond the kitchen, another set of peroba-clad panels folds outwards onto a dense courtyard garden. A pathway flanked by colourful Brazilian plant life leads to a new bathroom unit in the home’s former guest room, with surfaces similarly finished in the rich Brazilian timber.
Up top, an exit in the study opens onto a rooftop terrace, creating new ways to experience both the garden and neighbourhood from above.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the AR Architects website (opens in new tab)
-
Sabato De Sarno is appointed new creative director of Gucci
Italian designer Sabato De Sarno – formerly of Valentino – is the new creative director of Gucci, replacing Alessandro Michele who left the house last November
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Sotheby’s to auction Marie-Antoinette’s armchairs, amid other regal lots, in aid of French château
Sotheby’s Paris will auction works from the collection of interior designer Jacques Garcia in aid of Château du Champ de Bataille
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
Marco Campardo wins Design Museum’s emerging designer prize
The Design Museum, London, announces Marco Campardo as winner of The Ralph Saltzman Prize, an annual accolade to celebrate and support emerging designers
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
Flag House brings Brazilian modernism to Canada’s Whistler
Flag House, Canada, by Studio MK27 wins Best Ski Retreat at the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Year in review: top 10 houses of 2022, selected by Wallpaper* architecture editor Ellie Stathaki
Wallpaper’s Ellie Stathaki reveals her top 10 houses of 2022 – from modernist reinventions to urban extensions and idyllic retreats
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
This Brazil mountain retreat is a ‘timeless ruin‘
Bocaina-Paraty House is a timeless Brazil mountain retreat by architects Cicero Ferraz Cruz and Fábio Mosaner
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Roz Barr’s terrace house extension is a minimalist reimagining
Terrace house extension by Roz Barr Architects transforms Victorian London home through pared-down elegance
By Nick Compton • Published
-
Tree View House blends warm modernism and nature
North London's Tree View House by Neil Dusheiko Architects draws on Delhi and California living
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Maison de Verre: a dramatic glass house in France by Studio Odile Decq
Maison de Verre in Carantec is a glass box with a difference, housing a calming interior with a science fiction edge
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Modernist Coromandel farmhouse refreshed by Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
An iconic Coromandel farmhouse is being reimagined by the South African architectural collaborative of Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
By Nick Compton • Last updated
-
East London house extension infuses Victorian home with warm modernism
Blurton Road by London architecture studio Emil Eve is a residential extension project that transforms a modest Clapton house
By Ellie Stathaki • Published