The house is designed by Studio MK27 around a clear separation between service areas, social spaces, and private zones. On the ground floor, a linear volume runs the length of the plot and houses the support spaces, oriented towards a side patio that ensures natural ventilation and lighting. Opposite this block, the social areas unfold as an open and continuous space integrating the living room, dining room, and terrace, directly connected to the front and back gardens. This configuration enhances the fluid relationship between interior and exterior and makes the ground floor the heart of the home's daily and social life.
From a construction standpoint, the house is defined by the overlapping of volumes and a carefully considered materiality. The upper block, partially supported by the lower volume and metal columns, creates a shaded pilotis that shelters the social area and houses the family bedrooms. This volume is clad with a ventilated facade of reclaimed wood, arranged like a lattice that filters light and promotes cross-ventilation, reinterpreting the mashrabiya. The exposed ribbed concrete structure, oak panelling, and grey stone floors reinforce the tactile, climatic, and sensory character of the whole.
Bloco House by Studio MK27. Photograph by Fernando Guerra.
Project description by Studio MK27
Bloco House, in São Paulo, is part of Studio MK27’s series of urban residences. Built on a narrow lot typical of the city’s residential neighbourhoods, the house unfolds in a longitudinal layout that precisely responds to the site's proportions.
On the ground floor, a linear volume runs the full length of the plot. This prism houses service and support areas, all facing a lateral patio that ensures natural ventilation and light. In front of this volume, social life unfolds in a large open plaza where the living room, dining room, and terrace connect directly to both front and rear gardens, creating a fluid continuity between interior and exterior.
Above, an upper volume rests partly on the ground floor block and partly on the side wall. Elevated on Miesian-style metal columns, it creates a shaded and welcoming piloti over the social area while ensuring privacy and solar protection. The upper floor houses the family bedrooms, oriented toward the garden treetops.
The element that gives the house its name is the upper block, wrapped in a wooden skin made from solid, repurposed industrial scrap, arranged like small bricks. This screen filters light, allows cross-ventilation, and offers a contemporary take on the traditional "mashrabiya", evoking Brazilian architectural memory in a refined, sensory way. Throughout the day, light passing through the porous surface casts geometric patterns inside, creating a vibrant and ever-changing atmosphere.
The material palette emphasizes the project’s tactile and sensitive character. Ribbed exposed concrete defines the structure and adds texture to vertical planes. On the ground floor, natural oak panels enclose the service block, contrasting with grey stone flooring that unifies all social areas. The ventilated wood façade not only regulates climate but also brings warmth and delicacy to the architecture.
Block House is more than an exploration of urban living; it’s a synthesis of formal simplicity, spatial balance, and sensory sophistication.
