Renovation of a Brutalist House in Brazil
Led by architect Lutero Leme, from the Arquitécnika studio, in Brasília, the project aimed for the revitalization of a Brutalist residence, built in the federal capital in the 70s, originally designed by architect João Filgueiras (also known as Lelé). With 1,968m² of built up area on a 12,000 m² lot area, the intention was to keep the original exposed concrete and its volume, creating current technological solutions. To this end, the style and trait were maintained, but everything else was reconsidered. A challenge, due to the structure of the house. With only four supporting pillars, the plan has two floors and a large concrete structure with rod-bound roof slabs, which makes the house move up to two centimeters a day, depending on the ambient temperature. This movement was the starting point for the entire intervention project, as the materials had to be prepared for any expansion, without forming cracks or fissures. For this, drywalls and frames were designed with a floating system. Photography by © Edgard Cesar
Regarding the old plan, the lack of privacy in the rooms of the residence has always been an observation by the owners. To correct it, the architect invested in new installations and acoustics techniques. Aesthetically, decorative sculpted elements were used to separate rooms and allow natural ventilation. In the finishing touches, exposed concrete, wood, marble and granite. Lighting, which previously had a dismal ...