Serra House, Brazil Building, Belo Horizonte Home, Brazilian Real Estate, Brasil Architecture Images
Marinho da Serra House in Belo Horizonte
31 Jan 2022
Design: Vazio S/A
Location: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Estado, South East Brazil, South America

Photos by Studio Pixel / Daniel Mansur
Serra House, Belo Horizonte
Marinho da Serra (MS) house is located in a rural area of Serra da Moeda, a natural monument listed by the state heritage of Minas Gerais. The site belongs to a peasant family that has lived in the region since the 19th century, and has an orchard with banana trees, mango trees and bamboo groves.

The highlight of the house is the bamboo louvers that surround the entire perimeter of the building (except for the south facade, which does not receive sunlight). The windows of the rooms, facing west or east, are protected by the bamboo weave, a natural element abundant throughout the region. Bamboo was pretreated on site with a bath of borax and boric acid, a popular preservation method because it is effective and less toxic than other wood preservatives. The bath produces an insecticide, fungicide and fire retardant effect.
In environmental terms, the extraction of bamboo is not harmful, since the giant grass reaches a satisfactory size in about three years and is quite common in the interior landscapes of Brazil, where it is popularly used in railings, fences and ceilings. Also weighing in this account is the economy allowed by its use and also its durability w...