Designed by the Flavio Castro, who leads Brazilian practice FCstudio, for his own use, the Box House was conceived as ‘a floating opaque box’, as himself explains. Located in a relatively low-density residential neighborhood of São Paulo, Box House, is, as its name suggests, a simple rectangular volume; albeit one that combines several clever design gestures that elevate it to the next level of modern living.
The Box House rises on a corner plot that measures 20 by 10 meters (66x33ft). The setting directly informed the position of the building’s openings, while additional illumination is provided in the form of skylights and an inner patio.
From the street, the house emerges behind the wall like an opaque box with no openings. This was intentional because the discretion generates more security (the reality of the city). As you pass through the front gate of Corten steel, you come to a hall from which you can read, for the first time, the volumetry of the whole project and the differentiation of the program through the choice of materials. The opaque box, which before seemed to be heavy, rests in a glass box on the ground floor and makes it appear to float.
On the ground floor, the sliding glass doors allow a visual integration with the garden. Here is a social part (living) in a functional way. The second floor contains the private area (suite, TV room) that determined the outer covering of the residence: mini wave panels. The different possibility of openings controls sunlight, acoustic and safety.
On the rooftop, the garden completes the program and establishes a distinct relationship with the surroundings. It’s like a belvedere. Facts such as solar heating (water), gardens, cross ventilation and construction technique adopted (speed) generate an efficient house quality. From the bird, view photo is possible to notice that the house is an exception inside its context. The architecture respected the real conditions of the place, in the organization of the plant and in the definition of materials, passing through the design of the details.
