Faced with a budget of €80,000 (approximately $93,200) and a design and construction timeline of just 10 months, Brazilian architecture firm Vilela Florez had their work cut out for them in this 1,937-square-foot residence at Brazil’s renowned Pipa Beach.

Fortunately, these were the only conditions imposed by the clients—a couple who spent most of the year sailing through the Mediterranean—who had otherwise given the architects free reign in designing their holiday home.

As a result, the architects defined the home with simple volumes: the private sleeping areas and storage are housed in a double-story volume, while the communal areas are placed in the adjacent pavilion-like space supported by treated eucalyptus pillars and a timber roof.

To ground the home into its tropical setting, the architects relied on a locally sourced, natural material palette including timber, bamboo, and natural stone.

Artisans made all the materials save for the Hisbalit ceramic bathroom tiles and the fiber-cement panels (from Braselite).

“The idea was to provide—with a very small budget—a nice space integrated in nature,” explains the architecture firm of their design vision.

“We used local materials and labor. Because of the nice climate, we decided to create the living area as a ventilated, exterior space filled with shadows and vegetation, while the only ‘interior’ space are the bedrooms.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Mariana Vilela/ Daniel F. Florez

Builder/ General Contractor: Nadu empreteiros

Appears In

This Budget-Conscious Bamboo House Is a Slice of Paradise