- Project: FL House
- Architect: Jacobsen Arquitetura
- Location: Brazil, Braganca Paulista
- Year: 2017
- Area: 815 m2
- Photography: Fernando Guerra / FG+SG
Minimalism Rooted in the Landscape
FL House by Jacobsen Arquitetura is a masterclass in minimalist design and environmental integration. Located in Bragança Paulista, a region surrounded by lush hills and orange groves, the residence balances transparency and solidity, lightness and mass.
The design responds to the site’s two defining vistas: the forest landscape at the back and the sunset over the orange fields at the front. Side views were intentionally minimized, anticipating future development on adjacent plots. From this contextual study emerged the vision of a long, slender horizontal volume that sits parallel to the road, anchored by stone walls and wrapped in expansive glazing.
Architectural Composition
To take advantage of the site’s views and light, the house was elevated to the highest natural level of the land, concealing a lower service floor beneath the main living platform. This lower level—camouflaged by vegetation and stone retaining walls—accommodates the garage, staff quarters, and technical areas.
A wide sculptural staircase connects the two levels. Softly sloped and illuminated by a skylight, the stair becomes both circulation and landscape, as its steps double as planters and terraces.
On the upper level, all social and private areas unfold along the site’s width. The living and dining rooms form the central core, flanked by verandas and completely glazed façades that open to both sides, ensuring cross-ventilation and panoramic views.
Spatial Layout and Program
The main floor is divided into three functional zones:
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Central block: Living, dining, and social verandas open to the pool terrace and garden.
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Right wing: Home theater, gourmet kitchen, and a pool changing area, bordered by a strong stone wall.
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Left wing: Six en-suite bedrooms, three integrated with the main volume and three slightly suspended, creating a lighter mass and cozier internal heights.
This horizontal arrangement promotes transparency, cross-breezes, and privacy, while maintaining visual unity between architecture and nature.
Material Palette and Detailing
Jacobsen Arquitetura’s characteristic restraint defines the material selection.
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Freijó wood lines the ceilings, adding warmth and continuity.
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Stonewood clads the walls and exterior slopes, grounding the architecture in its natural setting.
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Charred wood panels form movable façades and privacy screens, providing both texture and durability.
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Semi-polished granite flooring flows from interior to exterior, dissolving the boundary between the rooms and the terrace.
These materials create a timeless harmony—robust, tactile, and elegantly simple.
Light, Transparency, and Shelter
Daylight is one of the primary design elements. The 4-meter-long eaves project deep shadows while softening the tropical sunlight. The interior spaces receive a delicate play of filtered light, shifting with time and season.
By aligning the living areas with the forest and pool, the architecture achieves an effortless dialogue between openness and shelter, intimacy and exposure.
Sustainability and Passive Performance
FL House integrates passive strategies throughout its design. The deep overhangs, operable façades, and open cross-ventilated layout maintain thermal comfort naturally. Local materials, such as stone and wood, ensure durability and reduce environmental impact, while the elevation of the main volume improves drainage and protects against moisture.
The landscape itself becomes part of the architecture, cooling the environment and reinforcing the home’s connection to its site.
Conclusion
FL House represents the refinement of Brazilian modernism—architecture that breathes with its environment. Through light structure, earthy materials, and geometric precision, Jacobsen Arquitetura created a residence that feels weightless yet grounded, open yet private.
The result is a poetic living space where architecture, climate, and landscape exist in perfect balance—a serene retreat that defines contemporary Brazilian elegance.
