Situated in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Querosen Home was designed by Grupo SP to take advantage of the of a low-lying website, 3 metres below street level. The home is concrete with Portuguese Stone floors and the North wall is a 3-storey shelving program that holds a staggering 7500 books accessed by metal platforms. The social zone requires benefit of the privacy on the lowest level offered by getting beneath street level, even though still maintaining views of the landscape beyond by means of the wall of glazings at the back of the residence.
With each sides of the residence strong concrete walls, the library creates a camouflage to the mostly windowless wall while on the other side, the concrete wall is separated from the house by several feet, allowing for air and light to pass by way of. Although the library zone is a 3-storey volume, the other side of the property – where the kitchen and bedrooms are positioned – are every single single volumes.
Access to the home is from the library side and a glass door opens to the living area.
From the street, Querosen Residence is fenced off with two trees in the front yard. The residence seems easy in structure, following the standard 10×40 metre format and keeps its secret of contemporary, wide open spaces and landscape views.
Its tough to believe that in the hustle and bustle of its location, the Querosen House could have such a private and calm backyard and such a voluminous social zone.
The metal platforms that connect the library to every single of the 3 floors on the other half of the residence bring an attractive industrial aesthetic to the zone that balances the historic aspect of the books themselves. Layered into this ying / yang decor are the semi translucent glass walls of the 3 levels and the rough concrete of the architecture. The lustre of the glass, the shine of the metal cat walks, the rough texture of the unfinished concrete and the rows upon rows of books on wood shelves all come with each other to develop a dynamic warehouse atmosphere to what is in fact a single family stand alone property.
The living location on the lowest level appears nearly oblivious to the catwalks and books above.
The dining region is behind the 3-storey volume and with a regular ceiling height the space has a more intimate really feel. Just beside the dining location is the concrete stairs that lead up to the private zones.
The stairs are located in the void in between the concrete wall and the property itself. This void enables light and airflow to penetrate the house from the front and back even though maintaining the wall itself completely closed for privacy.
Even the view to the street is private thanks to the privacy fence and the two trees in the yard.
Grupo SP
Photography by Nelson Kon
