Arthur Casas’ Pacaembu Home wins Greatest City Bolthole in Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024

Escaping the hustle and bustle of São Paulo for the weekend is a lifestyle within the Brazilian megalopolis, not only for the rich, however for a big portion of the middle-class too, as many usually make the two- or three-hour trek to second properties within the rolling countryside exterior of town or on the gorgeous seashores of the Litoral Paulista. However for Brazilian architect Arthur Casas’ newest undertaking, Pacaembu Home, the consumer wished one thing very totally different. 

‘I solely need one home. Not two. I’m not driving anyplace for the weekend. I need to keep house and host all of my youngsters and our buddies right here, collectively, however with loads of totally different areas for the person teams amongst us to collect. I need a home that could be a house for all of us,’ the consumer informed Casas. The latter’s response? ‘It was an fascinating problem, not simply due to the transient. The location is sophisticated. It’s situated on a hillside, dropping seven metres from prime to backside, however that allowed us to do one thing particular. We have been capable of create an actual sanctuary with superb views.’ 

Pacaembu Home: a main residence designed as an escape

The doorway to Pacaembu Home sits on a captivating cul-du-sac in its namesake neighbourhood, set again from a tall perimeter wall, itself elegantly executed, accented with rebar and climbing trepadeira vines which are seemingly requisite within the metropolis. The wall yields only a trace of the structure behind, and inside, a lush entry backyard provides a preview of Luiz Carlos Orsini’s gorgeous tropical landscaping to return. 

The doorway lobby, flush with pure mild from a skylight above, sits on the touchdown of two staircases – one main upstairs to bedrooms and an condo suite, and the opposite heading downstairs to far more. Right here, it turns into clear that the house spills elegantly downhill, unfolding over its terraced web site with a single, monolithic, massive quantity perched above. On this small reception space, an expansive plate-glass wall showcases an inside backyard that runs the size of the stairwell and is accessible from the lounge. A geometrical metal and glass sculpture by artist Tulio Pinto, sitting in lovely juxtaposition to the natural shapes of the flora, is the centrepiece of this lush vignette, one in every of many on the property.

The house’s massive, voluminous, loft-style residing space is a masterclass in bringing a impartial, tonal scheme to life with tactile and visible texture, incorporating marble, pure linen, leather-based, suede, bouclé cotton, and wool. The poured-in-place concrete partitions are constructed utilizing types customized by Casas to ‘go away an impression’ – and that, they do. When warmly up-lit, they seem like a murals. The sitting space includes a assortment of traditional and modern items by well-known Brazilian designers, Arthur Casas included – suppose, Sergio Rodrigues’ ‘Tonico’ lounge chairs, ‘Quebra Galho’ armchairs by Marcelo Magalhães, Casas’ ‘Fusca’ sofas, and 4 huge ‘Tiles AM’ espresso tables. 

A secondary, extra intimate sitting space gives separation from one other staircase and the formal eating room on the opposite aspect. This, smaller, residing house is located between an extended, low console fabricated from brown marble, constructed into one of many home’s columns and an built-in curio cupboard that includes a propane hearth. Right here, sits a Steinway piano, one other ‘Fusca’ couch and a pair of ‘Poltrona F’ chairs by Zanine Caldas, reverse Casas’ nesting ‘Arquipelago’ espresso tables. Underpinning all of it is a Nani Chinellato rug so expansive that it needed to be assembled on-site from a number of items weighing two tons in whole.

The eating room furnishings are all by Casas, that includes the ‘Amorpha Jumbo’ eating desk and 12 ‘Max’ eating chairs, which floor the ‘Amorpha’ chandelier that casts mild upward to the ceiling clad in European white oak. Telescoping glass doorways create a permeable boundary between the residing house and the principle terrace exterior, a luxurious afforded by the nice sub-tropical local weather of the area. 

The sheltered outside terrace is configured for internet hosting a number of teams on the identical time. The outside kitchen is well-equipped for cooking and entertaining, adjoining to a number of totally different residing areas, all conceived for eating and lounging by the varied factions of the household and their buddies. These are accented by one other vignette of tropical vegetation built-in into the terrace. Simply past this leafy patch is a big, state-of-the-art fitness center, a therapeutic massage room, two saunas, and a devoted youngsters’ play space.

Solely when wanting again from the rear backyard garden, past the gorgeous swimming pool, does one get a full perspective on the home, with its large, horizontal poured-in-place concrete field perched delicately above the principle terrace on lateral retaining partitions. The façade’s dramatic picket shutters make a contemporary design assertion and likewise serve the sleeping areas inside, adjusting mechanically with the motion of the solar to make sure most consolation and vitality effectivity. They ultimately near create a shear wood-clad wall contrasting the big glass window that shares the facade in good proportion. 

This prime quantity options its personal landscaped rooftop backyard and sitting space above, however nonetheless, the home doesn’t seem as massive as its expansive 1,500 sq m actually is. A lot of its total space is nestled inside the hill, making room for extra facilities like a music room, a hair salon, a wine cellar, an eight-car storage, and varied service areas. The elevator, the principle kitchen and different help amenities, together with employees quarters, are additionally encompassed into the positioning and discreetly tucked away behind operable wall panels, all the time out of sight. Every little thing feels shiny, illuminated by a well-conceived assortment of sunshine wells, skylights, and even glass flooring inside the pool, including drama to the areas beneath. 

In the wrong way, descending a captivating outside stairway framed by extra leafy foliage, an al fresco sitting space unfolds. It options an out of doors hearth ringed with ‘Asturias’ lounge chairs by Brazilian designer Carlos Motta, native bushes and vegetation, and a koi pond. Behind it, one other terrace, located underneath the pool deck, options another outside kitchen and bar composition, alongside eating and lounge sections wrapped in built-in greenery. A bonus, standalone bed room suite with a semi-private patio past gives one more space for leisure – all inside the confines of the tough stone perimeter partitions.