Set in a serene location, this Brazilian house sits low, its long horizontal framework embedded between two mountain ranges: the Serra do Mar and the Serra da Mantiqueira in the country's southeast. Fittingly titled Valley House, as inspired by its setting's dramatic natural topography, the project is one that resonates deeply with its creator, architect Beatriz Meyer. Through it, she had the opportunity to design a home for her own family and herself.
Tour a modern Brazilian house for an architect
The architect, who is the co-founder of Beatriz Meyer + Elisa Friedmann architects, says on the project's environment: ‘This breathtaking landscape, set within a productive farm, provided an ideal canvas for a bold project. Yet, the creative freedom also brought a sense of panic with the myriad of possibilities.’
The benefits of this idyllic, rural site included stepping away from the usual urban planning constraints, typical in city plots, leaving a complete blank slate for Meyer to work from. As she was her own client, and with an array of decisions to make, she did settle on one thing: the house had to be a model of sustainability.
‘The landscape was the true origin of the project,’ explains Meyers. ‘The house sits on a plateau within a valley, gently framed by two mountain ranges – a place defined by silence, distance, and horizon. From the beginning, I sought an architecture that would belong to the site rather than impose itself upon it – a house that would rest lightly on the land and dissolve into the surrounding vegetation.’
The site is orientated towards the north, which offers panoramic views towards the region's mountain ranges. So as not to obscure the skyline view or impact the environment, the residence was designed as a single-storey structure.
As a result, the project unfolds as a low, horizontal composition divided into three volumes that are defined by a single material - glass, stone and carbonised timber. ‘Together, these elements create a quiet balance between transparency and mass, permanence and lightness,’ says the architect.
The house was a prefabricated construction, as this building method would minimise impact on the land and therefore reflect Meyer’s sustainable architecture vision. However, the architect was also keen to incorporate stone, as it is a material deeply rooted in the particular landscape.
It was these two elements – the project's prefab nature in conjunction with the presence of stone and the irregularity it brought – that became the central challenge of the project, Meyers explains: ‘It required an unusual degree of anticipation, where every dimension and every connection had to be resolved long before construction began.’
The house is generously spaced, with flowing, open-plan living. However, it is the light and the way it moves through the Brazilian house's open passages that is the most striking. A shady pergola is placed above internal gardens, further playing with light and shadow, while circular and square apertures are strategically positioned to frame views of the sky above and the surrounding landscape.
‘To me, architecture is a quiet vessel for memory and emotion – a place where well-being can take root,’ says Meyers. ‘I hope visitors experience a sense of calm and gentle belonging. The spaces were conceived to flow naturally into one another, creating an atmosphere of harmony and stillness – a subtle and intimate form of comfort that resonates deeply within the soul.’
