- Project: PS House
- Architect: Jacobsen Arquitetura
- Location: Brazil, Jardim Nancy
- Year: 2019
- Area: 560 m2
- Photography: Fernando Guerra / FG+SG
A Seaside Weekend Retreat
PS House is conceived as a coastal escape for a young São Paulo–based family with children, positioned close to the beach within Jardim Nancy. The project is Jacobsen Arquitetura’s elegant exploration of privacy, nature, and spatial fluidity in a compact, modern footprint.
The site is positioned on a corner bounded by two access roads to the beach. The house arranges itself in an L-shape layout, shielding its private garden and pool from the public realm. This configuration directs the most favorable sun exposure toward the interior spaces, while preserving openness and views.
Design Strategy & Spatial Logic
The architects chose a moderated scale to make maintenance and daily use effortless. Through a steel structural system, deep overhangs, and clean lines, the design remains minimal and exact. The charred wood façades, wooden ceilings, and granite flooring establish a refined material language—warm, tactile, and resilient to coastal climate.
When glass walls are fully retracted, the living and dining areas extend into verandas that merge seamlessly with the pool and garden, erasing the boundary between inside and outside. These sliding systems make the architecture flexible and responsive to climate, offering openness on pleasant days and protection during storms.
Below, the natural slope of the plot allows support spaces—playroom, sauna, service areas—to sit discreetly at a lower level. This reinforces the house’s visual simplicity: from the street, it appears as a single story, while internally it reveals multiple layers and depth.
Materiality & Architectural Atmosphere
The palette emphasizes natural contrast and permanence. Charred wood (carbonized façades) provides a durable, low-maintenance outer skin that ages gracefully. The warm interior is enriched by freijó and other woods in ceilings and cabinetry, blending with neutral granite flooring that cools interior zones.
The pergola over the entry sequence acts as a transitional filter—light, shadow, and texture modulate arrival. Within, a reflecting water feature extends through the core, weaving gardens and interiors into a unified spatial experience.
Sustainability & Climatic Response
PS House embodies passive strategies as core to its design. The deep eaves, cross ventilation, and strategic orientation help regulate interior temperatures naturally. Utilizing a steel frame reduces material bulk, while the compact shape and open façades help the house act like a breathing organism. The blackened wood façade also helps protect the timber from sun and moisture, reducing maintenance and thermal stress.
By embedding service and ancillary spaces below grade, the architecture minimizes exposed mass and heat gain, further enhancing thermal performance and energy efficiency.
Conclusion
PS House exemplifies Jacobsen Arquitetura’s capacity to create emotionally resonant, efficient, and elegantly restrained architecture. The house does not demand attention—it offers comfort and coherence. Through a subtle balance of scale, materiality, and spatial layering, it becomes a private haven that breathes in harmony with its beachside context.
This residence is more than a weekend home—it’s a quiet manifesto: modern minimalism shaped by light, climate, and nature.
