- Project: Jabuticaba House
- Architect: Fernanda Marques Arquitetura
- Location: Brazil, São José dos Campos
- Year: 2020
- Area: 1400 m2
- Photography: Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
A Transparent Sanctuary Immersed in Nature
In São José dos Campos, Fernanda Marques Arquitetura designed Jabuticaba House — a contemporary residence that fuses spatial fluidity, structural lightness, and a profound connection with nature. Conceived for a young family seeking a “home for life,” the project manifests balance between openness and intimacy, transforming daily living into an elegant dialogue with the garden.
With a metallic structural system allowing for slender slabs and expansive spans, the architecture achieves remarkable transparency and horizontality. The result is a residence that feels light, poised, and seamlessly interwoven with its landscape — a defining trait of Marques’s architectural philosophy.
Concept & Design Intent
The design began with the couple’s vision of a home that would evolve with family life — a timeless refuge grounded in comfort, art, and nature. The program, distributed over two levels, unfolds in layers of interaction: the social zones on the ground floor and the private quarters above.
Marques’s guiding principle was integration — between structure and landscape, between daily function and serenity. The architecture therefore prioritizes views, light, and material continuity, while employing minimalist detailing to amplify spatial clarity.
Structure & Spatial Organization
The use of a metallic framework enabled the design’s defining characteristic: thin, floating slabs that lend lightness to the horizontal planes. This engineering choice freed the plan from excessive columns, allowing open interiors and panoramic transparency.
Ground Floor — Living and Connection
The ground level houses all social and leisure areas, opening directly to the garden and pool. The entrance unfolds through a landscaped path, leading to a grand foyer that bridges exterior and interior through full-height glazing.
A living and dining pavilion, terrace, and open kitchen converge as a single continuous space — ideal for family gatherings and entertaining. Adjacent zones include:
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Toy library adjoining the living area for the children.
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Gym and wellness suite overlooking the garden.
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Two home theaters — one connected to the main social area, another on the upper floor for family use.
Each space maintains visual continuity with the outdoors, reinforcing the home’s organic relationship with the surrounding greenery.
Upper Floor — Privacy & Views
The private level contains all bedrooms and intimate spaces. The master suite opens toward a protected conservation area, ensuring privacy and tranquility, while the children’s rooms face the pool, inviting natural light and scenic views.
A delicate balance of exposure and shelter defines the experience: sun-drenched terraces contrast with shaded verandas, allowing each family member to engage with nature on their own terms.
Architecture & Material Palette
Jabuticaba House expresses refinement through material honesty. The steel structure contrasts with natural textures — stone, wood, and glass — that bring warmth and tactility to the minimalist framework.
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Metallic structure: Enables thin slabs and broad spans.
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Large-format glass panels: Dissolve boundaries, emphasizing connection to the garden.
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Natural wood accents: Warm the interiors and define vertical rhythms.
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Stone floors and terraces: Extend visual continuity between indoor and outdoor planes.
These elements are orchestrated to evoke serenity and sophistication. The architecture appears grounded yet weightless, a tranquil composition of horizontal lines anchored in the lush landscape.
Light, Landscape & Sensory Experience
Light in Jabuticaba House is both material and atmosphere. Openings, skylights, and overhangs modulate the tropical sunlight, creating a fluid interplay between brightness and shadow.
The garden acts as both background and protagonist. Native vegetation weaves around and through the structure — passing beneath floating slabs, filtering light, and framing views. Even interior corridors are pierced by green courtyards, turning circulation into moments of pause and reflection.
This biophilic integration allows nature to flow through the home, ensuring that the landscape is not an accessory but an integral architectural element.
A House for Life
For Fernanda Marques, luxury lies in experience, not opulence. Jabuticaba House embodies this belief: a dwelling that celebrates simplicity, comfort, and permanence.
“The idea was to design a home that embraces daily life in all its nuances — a place to grow, to live with art, to live with light,” says Marques.
Through its precision detailing, sustainable material palette, and deep connection with the garden, Jabuticaba House stands as a masterful example of Brazilian contemporary residential architecture — both sculptural and deeply human.
