Biribinhas House

São Paulo is an intimidatingly huge, traffic-clogged metropolis but a lucky few can escape to coastal retreats, less than a three-hour drive away. Many of Studio MK27’s hundred plus houses are located in this privileged zone, and they are designed to exploit the subtropical climate. Interiors open up to lush plantings and residents can live outdoors for much of the year. The 620-sq. m Biribinhas House is named for the canopy of fine twigs, a common element in the Brazilian vernacular, which shades the veranda. It gives the upper level of this steel and concrete structure the character of a beach cabin. As project architect Samanta Cafardo observes, “We like to play with the contrast between light and heavy, open and enclosed”.

Marcio Kogan, who established the firm in 1980, wanted to be a filmmaker but the financial failure of his first feature bankrupted him and imperiled his fledgling practice. The setback taught him the importance of collaboration and the great strength of Studio MK27 is its collective approach to design. The 71 staffers, two thirds of whom are women, exchange ideas every working day over a lunch that is prepared by an expert chef, bringing them together as a family. And filmmaking inspired Kogan to take a cinematic approach to design. “The spatial experience is fundamental in our projects”, he explained in a recent monograph. “It comes from special care when thinking about proportions, the path drawn through the space, and the narrative it creates”.

Those qualities are evident in every aspect of the Biribinhas House. It replaced the owner’s previous residence, giving them more space for a growing family. But it had to stay within the footprint of the old, so the architects put the sleeping areas on an upper level, freeing the ground floor for living spaces that flow out to the garden and a biomorphic pool through pocketing glass sliders. Transparency is the hallmark of...

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