For her most recent project in São Paulo, Brazilian architect Fernanda Marques drew inspiration from a recent trip to Japan – ‘particularly on the quiet, contemplative islands of Naoshima,’ she says.
She was entranced by the work of Tadao Ando, a master of light and concrete. ‘I became deeply aware of the power of thresholds - of pauses, voids, and transitions,’ she says. That design approach is at the heart of what she’s called The Edge house.
Marques was tasked to create a modern family residence by renovating an older house on the site. The architect and her team worked with the existing structure, selecting and preserving only the essential elements of the original construction.
‘In Edge House, architecture becomes less about form and more about experience - an ever-shifting interplay between interior and exterior, solidity and void, where each boundary is less a limit and more an invitation,’ Marques explains.
The home’s dialogue between openness and enclosure allows for a retreat-like quality and a relaxed spirit of a summer house - perfect for Marques’ clients, a couple with two infants and two teenagers. To meet the needs of the different age groups, the house was redesigned to accommodate spaces for all – especially for the adults who enjoy amenities like a gym, sauna and spa.
It was a challenging task, Marques says. ‘The house needed to support different routines, age groups and moments, from spaces dedicated to children to more private areas, from social gatherings to quieter, more introspective environments,’ she explains.
So she approached the four-level house as a series of layers, ones that accommodate all of the family’s needs but spatially felt seamless. 'I was interested in how each space could unfold into the next, without rupture, allowing the house to be experienced as a continuous sequence,’ Marques says.
The team delivered on their goal; the integration of spaces unfolds naturally. Materiality is at the core of the design cohesion that prevails. The use of travertine marble and slatted wood is central to the material language and continues across both façade and interiors.
The building's entrance hall is Marques’ favourite element: ‘It concentrates many of the intentions behind the project, the relationship with nature, the control of light, and the articulation of space through sequence rather than form alone.’
Coupled with the entry sequence, the vertical garden is also central to the home's experience, nodding to the owners' indoor-outdoor lifestyle. The residence expands across four floors, which host the children’s and primary bedrooms, a wellness space, a TV room, and social and leisure areas.
‘I would like visitors to experience a sense of calm, along with a subtle shift from the rhythm of the city,’ Marque reflects.. ‘The house does not reveal itself all at once. It invites a slower reading, where movement, pause and perception become part of the experience.’
