A ramped walkway and staircases lead like a "continuous drawing" through the stepped levels of this concrete house in Brazil, designed by Una Arquitetos, to end at a lush garden on its roof.

Casa em Cotia, or House in Cotia, is a family residence named after the São Paulo municipality where it is located.
Locally based Una Arquitetos completed the property for a vast 2,600-square-metre clearing near a forest, giving the team plenty of freedom with the design. The main challenge was to accommodate the site's slope, which the studio says is a typical feature of the area.

In response, the practice separated the 730-square-metre home into three concrete blocks set at different levels across the site.
Large windows, columns and overhanging volumes are all reminiscent of Brazilian modernism ? the style adapted for the region by architects like Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer during the early-to-mid 20th century.
A 45-metre-long roof placed on top of the blocks acts a unifying element, with its grassy and sandy covering matching the tones of the woodland surrounding.

Two large holes puncture the roof, above courtyards that bring natural light into the four levels of the house. A series of ramps and stairs are used to connect each floor.

"Designing a house always presumes a commitment to sheltering family relationships," said Una Arquitetos in a project description. "Embracing childhood, everyday life, establishing scales of measures to the world.&quo...