The Ramp House by Studio MK27 has a characteristically Brazilian modernist edge to it. Located in São Paulo, it was designed by Marcio Kogan and Renata Furlanetto.
The first tell-tale sign that this is a home designed in Brazil is the liberal use of exposed concrete walls throughout the design. This brings to mind the mid-century architecture of João Batista Vilanova Artigas, such as the Casa Olga Baeta and the FAU-USP architecture building, both of which we wrote about earlier this year.
Another aspect that is similar to Artigas’ work is the design’s self-evident playfulness. This is best represented in the presence of a large ramp connecting the two main floors (which particularly recalls a similar feature of the FAU-USP building).
In most mid-century style homes, such a feature would fully deserve to make it into the name, since this mode of ascending to the next floor is so unusual. But the ramp in the Ramp House is not the only special feature that this building boasts.
Indeed, the home houses a very impressive shutter system, comprised of folding wooden panels. When closed, these panels align perfeclt with the rest of the façade, making look completely windowless.
ALSO READ: A Modern Home in Sao Paulo Features Straight Lines and Mid-century Furniture
The design of the panels, featuring long thing planks of wood spaced closely together, is present in other areas of this contemporary home design, including the sauna, the bathroom, and in the ceiling of the central living area.
In fact, the ceiling of the living room is more specifically an extension of the façade. This liberal use of such fine wood is absolutely breath-taking in its own right.
But having it continue from the indoors, right out into the garden (with little in the way of a barrier between the two) really forces home the fact that this house is open to the world beyond.
Such monumentality has the effect of enforcing a sense of separateness from the surrounding area. You would think this was situated in a suburban area, if not in the countryside. But in fact, it can be found in the very heart of Sao Paolo.
ALSO READ: Architect Jose Juan Rivera Rio’s Modernist Casa Caucaso
Before we finish up, the outdoor space should really get a special mention. The way the landscaping and the house interact is really exceptional.
A covered space has been created by having the house cantilever so that it precisely aligns with the marble floor below. No structural support interrupts this beautiful clean line, and the white marble which extends all the way along is only interrupted by a fantastic abstract sculpture at one end.
This is modernist landscaping at its very best: neat, exact, and pure, just like the rest of the house.
.
