An Elegant Contemporary Home Built From White Concrete in Rio Grande do Sul

HLM House by Boa Arquitetura

The HLM House emerges from a client’s request to build a retreat on a natural area in the outskirts of the city of Santa Maria, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The idea was to provide a place where one coul find himself in deep contact with the landscape, near enough from the city so working was still possible. From the begining, the challenge found was how to build something that could rise in the landscape as if it had always belonged to the place.

The image of a curved wall, sliding through the original topography, came as the reference point, creating a surrounding thick layer of white concrete, as elemental as possible. From there, internal spaces take shape, in two main rooms divided by a central core of technical instalations and service areas.

The first room is the dormitory, where the open space receives a tube and is just interrupted by a minor curved wall that shapes the bathroom aside.

The second room is the living one, where one can seat around the fire, meet friends around the table, cook a nice tradicional “parrilla” or just seat around and enjoy the beauty of the view from the valley below. Wide open windows allow the landscape to be a constant presence in everyday life, and all window can be opened to connect interior and exterior.

The dormitory and the living room are linked through a linear porch, projected towards the hill. The structure of the house, as weel as walls, is all made in white concrete poured on the site. The choice was made respecting the site, who demanded a very strong and radical materiality.

The interior received natural wood floor and ceiling. A helicoidal stair leads to the green roof. this one has a constant layer of 18cm of water below it. This provides the house a very eficient and sustainable climate system, avoiding the excessive insulation on summer and keeping the heat on winter. Up there one can reach a quiet place to find yourself alone and just enjoy the beautiful view at east, made magical by everyday sunrise.

Photos by: Boa Arquitetura & Marcelo Donadussi