- Project: Vila Real Itu Residence
- Architect: Alexandre Chaguri Arquitetura
- Location: Brazil, Fazenda Vila Real de Itu, São Paulo State
- Year: 2023
- Area: 670 m2
- Photography: Favaro Jr. Fotografia
A Vision of Transparent Retreat
Set within the lush confines of the Fazenda Vila Real de Itu in São Paulo’s hinterland, the Vila Real Itu Residence by Alexandre Chaguri Arquitetura emerges as a considered composition that dissolves boundaries between interior and exterior. The commission marks the fourth residence by the same client, yet this iteration brings a deliberate shift in ambition: a home defined by transparency, openness and dialogue with nature.
Arriving into the site, the dense native forest anchored on the land becomes not mere backdrop but principal protagonist of the design. From the front entrance, verdant vegetation frames the architecture—setting the tone for a project that privileges continuity of landscape and architecture.
A Grounded Strategy: Topography and Form
Rather than assert dominance on the terrain, the design uses the existing level difference—where the plot dips from the street—to recess part of the house, crafting a subdued horizontal mass that respects the surroundings.
Organised along a central axis, the composition deploys a restrained volumetric language: linear roofs, generous glazing, and planar extensions that orient toward the forest panorama. Traditional masonry provides solidity while punctuated metal elements articulate structural finesse—together enabling spans of glass that dissolve walls and invite nature in.
Interior & Program: Spatial Clarity and Forest Connection
Internally, the program is carefully zoned. At the entrance lie service and support areas—kitchen, utility rooms—anchoring the function away from the primary vistas. The central wing opens into generous living and dining spaces, fully glazed to draw the forest into everyday rituals. To one side unfold five suites—all facing the natural landscape—alongside a home-theatre and a winter garden that becomes a breathing atrium, bringing light and ventilation deep into the plan.
A noteworthy gesture is the four-car garage, strategically positioned to provide immediate visual access to the scene of the preserved forest—a nod to the fact that even arrival becomes encounter.
Materiality & Landscape: A Dialogue of Texture and Context
The material palette is disciplined yet rich: exposed masonry delivers weight and permanence while slender metal insertions express lightness and modernity. Large glazing surfaces facilitate a continuous visual flow to the surrounding trees and sky, effectively erasing thresholds.
The landscape design by Roberto Riscala reinforces the house’s immersion in nature. Existing native vegetation is preserved and integrated; gardens and outdoor spaces are shaped to blur the transition between architecture and land, carving organic relations rather than imposed geometry.
Living the Retreat: Experience & Atmosphere
What emerges is not simply a house but a retreat—an architecture of quiet elegance tailored for holidays and family gatherings. The horizontal layout fosters a calm coexistence with the site, while expansive glazing and forest views imbue the interior with a sense of continuity and serenity. Whether gathering in the living room, stepping outside to the patio, or reclining in one of the glass-enveloped suites, the forest remains present.
In a broader sense, the project stands as a statement of what contemporary residential architecture can achieve in Brazil’s interior landscapes: moving beyond flamboyance toward poise; beyond separation toward integration; and beyond spectacle toward subtle refuge.
Why Vila Real Itu Matters
• It exemplifies how architecture can privilege connection to nature rather than domination of it.
• It shows a refined strategy of topography use, leveraging slope and vegetation rather than flattening the site.
• The spatial organisation delivers functional clarity and flexibility, keeping social and private areas distinct yet visually unified.
• The material approach strikes a balance between groundedness (masonry) and openness (metal, glass), enabling a modern aesthetic rooted in context.
• As a fourth commission from the same client, it demonstrates the evolved trust and ambition between client and architect, allowing more radical transparency and immersion.
Final Thought
The Vila Real Itu Residence is a compelling example of minimalist luxury rooted in place, programme and ecology. Alexis Chaguri Arquitetura’s ability to weave architecture into its forest setting—rather than simply near or above it—yields a home that feels at once expansive and intimate, contemporary yet anchored. Such work not only responds to the moment but models a path forward for residential design in Brazil’s natural settings.
