In São Paulo, a city where the built environment is becoming increasingly dense, the architectural practice Dado Castello Branco Arquitetura has created a house that employs a vertical layout as a fully-fledged design strategy. The residence for a family of five is laid out over four storeys, allowing an extensive functional programme to be accommodated on a relatively narrow plot without compromising the openness of the space.
Instead of a traditional entrance, the architects proposed an atrium, the central feature of which is a sculptural, spiral staircase. Enclosed within a precisely crafted wooden casing, it leads through all levels of the house and organises its internal logic. Designed in this way, the staircase can easily be considered a work of art. It is an exceptionally photogenic feature of the interior.
Living area
The ground floor of the villa has been designed as a fluid sequence of living spaces that blend naturally with the garden designed by Isabel Duprat. The fully concealed window frames used here make the boundary between the interior and the greenery almost disappear. Light, greenery and air flow freely into the interior, lending the whole a sense of lightness and emphasising the house’s modernist character. It is on this level that the idea of openness is most fully realised – the space functions as a single organism, where family life and contact with nature intertwine in everyday use.
An oasis of calm
The villa was built using a balanced palette of materials: natural wood, stone and subtle, neutral tones. This composition creates a tranquil backdrop for a rich art collection and carefully selected design pieces, which lend the interiors their individual character.
The upper floors house the residents’ private areas, designed with comfort and privacy in mind. The top floor is dedicated to a wellness area (featuring a spa and gym), which completes the concept of the home as a place of balance, regeneration and contemporary living. The whole project demonstrates how the studio’s integrated approach works in practice, where architecture, interiors and landscape form a coherent, harmonious whole.
design: Dado Castello Branco Arquitetura
photography: Douglas Friendman
Read also: Brazil | Villas and residences | Modernism | Single-family home | whiteMAD on Instagram
