Simplicity and respect for nature characterise the Veranda House project (Casa Varanda), by architect Carla Juaçaba, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A rectangular, transparent house, with glass walls and a weathered steel structure, suspended 90 centimetres above the ground, cuts through the middle of land on which grow hundred year old trees and ends in a forest.

According to Juacuba, the longitudinal placement of the structure in the middle of the land, occupying the only clearing that existed, is the principal concept of the project. And the skylight which cuts the roof of the house in the same direction as the house cuts through the land, reinforces this idea.

The glass walls allow your gaze to cross the house, giving the impression of proximity to the surrounding vegetation, totally preserved by the building and guaranteeing privacy. The skylight pays tribute to nature, leaving the sun to mark the passage of time on the walls throughout the day.

The structure is made up of ArcelorMittal’s Indaten (or Corten) weathered steel sections, which were welded and assembled in 15 days. The material proved a low cost, durable solution resistant to erosion – critical in an area highly susceptible to the effects of sea air. The steel structure is also a key architectural feature, designed to be viewed internally and externally.

Large veranda



The name of the house is a reference to the central living room, a large space between perpendicular brick walls. Panels join the walls and when open, they transform the room into a large veranda. The roof projects 1.5 m beyond the glass wall, providing additional protection.

The plan of the house is symmetrical, with the bedrooms at each end. The brick walls were arranged transversally so as not to obstruct the view of the land.

The roof is made of steel tiles with a zinc-aluminium coating and is formed by steel panels with polyurethane foam on the inside to guarantee thermal and acoustic insulation.

The geographical characteristics of the region, which is muddy, at the bottom of the mountain and liable to flooding, were the reasons for suspension of the volume, on the eight steel pillars, which are supported on concrete piles 20 metres deep to guarantee stability.

Source: http://www.constructalia.com/en_EN/case-studies/veranda-house/4035575/page.jsp