The Heloíza and Leonardo House Project: Rethinking the Balance Between Heritage and Contemporary Expansion

Choosing the Location and Life Between City and Countryside

The architects provided the following description: Heloíza and Leonardo, who share strong family ties in Calambau (Presidente Bernardes, Minas Gerais), desired to live in the countryside and enjoy tranquility and natural spaces. However, they realized that living in the city could offer them a more welcoming environment suitable for their daily life, reflecting a balance between the desire for privacy and the need for community interaction and urban services.

Searching for the Right Home

After four years of careful searching for a house in the city’s main square, they found the right property and contacted the architectural office to execute their project. This commitment and prolonged search highlight the importance of patience and precision in choosing a residence that aligns with one’s lifestyle and personal values.

Attention to Details and Life Rituals

Heloíza and Leonardo are known for their engagement and attention to minute details in their daily life. They also value rituals of wellness and affection, which guided the architects in creating a harmonious home environment rich in memories. This focus on details underscores the close relationship between architectural design and lifestyles, where thoughtful planning contributes to both comfort and emotional appeal of the space.

Spatial Organization of the Modern House

The modern house plan encompasses a wide range of spaces designed to meet various daily and recreational needs. Prominent among these is the large living room, which serves as the heart of the home, alongside four bedrooms and three private suites, in addition to a social bathroom and an integrated dining and kitchen area. A laundry room, garden with a pergola, garage, and water tank were also provided to meet practical needs, along with a barbecue area and a biscuit oven to enhance social and recreational experiences.

Outdoor Spaces and the Experience of Open-Air Living

The outdoor areas also include diverse seating zones, a swimming pool, storage room, orchid house, fire pit, prayer space, orchard, and vegetable garden, as well as a green fence that ensures privacy while promoting a connection with nature. This variety of uses reflects a focus on creating a comprehensive environment that combines comfort with multifunctionality, while enhancing the experience of outdoor living.

Comparison with the Original House

The original house, with an area of 140 square meters and likely dating from the late 19th century, featured a typical layout reflecting the lifestyle of that era. Its front façade included a front living room with two side bedrooms, while the rear featured a second living room with adjacent rooms. Additionally, there was a dining room as the primary facility connected to the bathroom, kitchen, and storage, along with a rear balcony as a secondary facility. This layout demonstrates the emphasis on the home’s basic functions in the past, compared to the modern design, which seeks to integrate comfort, recreation, and social character.

Preserving the Historical Character and Interior Design

Care was taken to preserve the front and side façades of the house, while adhering to the interior design as much as possible to avoid the need for extensive structural reinforcements. However, a significant portion of the woodwork required replacement, reflecting the challenge of balancing authenticity preservation with material renewal in line with modern safety standards and functionality.

Design According to Client Needs

The new layout was developed in response to specific client requests and successfully addresses the relationship between the house and its surrounding square. The front living room functions as a filter between urban activity and the core comfort within the home, providing a smooth transition from public to private spaces.

Connecting Interior and Exterior Spaces

The corridor adjoining the living room links to the kitchen, revealing views of the garden from the entrance, while the quieter bedrooms are located to the side to ensure privacy and comfort. The new kitchen also features an internal courtyard, adding further privacy to the suite. Furthermore, the expanded kitchen connects the terrace and garden through large glazed openings, enhancing the indoor-outdoor connection, allowing natural light to flow, and creating a sense of spaciousness and openness.

Restoration with Respect for Authenticity

Lulu, a specialist in museology, was keen to restore the original elements of the house without creating fictitious historical narratives. This approach reflects a commitment to preserving the historical identity of the place while maintaining honesty in presenting the architectural heritage, rather than reinventing or falsifying it.

Integrating Traditional Techniques and Contemporary Needs

Traditional techniques common in the region, such as taquara, local woodworking, and ironwork, were consistently integrated into the project. The architectural style emerged from the dialogue between old practices and contemporary lifestyle needs, allowing the spaces to be functional and flexible while preserving the traditional character.

Regional and International Influences

The design process drew inspiration from previous projects in Brazil and abroad, enhancing the coexistence of old and new elements and reinterpreting them harmoniously. This approach allowed the essence of the original building to be retained while introducing modern improvements without compromising its historical identity.

Balancing Old and New

The project combines meticulous restoration, the use of compatible materials, and modest contemporary additions. New interventions, such as the open kitchen and the annex building at the top of the plot, contrast with the old but do not compete with it, they complement it. The annex communicates with the main house through consistent form and color, with a simple, industrial language, creating harmony with the surrounding landscape and enhancing the living experience within the property.

Site and Topography

The site is accessible from two streets, with a height difference of up to 13.2 meters. The staircase was designed to follow the natural terrain without the need for extensive cutting, forming multiple platforms that include the pergola, vegetable garden, and orchard, reflecting respect for the natural environment and a design that harmonizes with the land.

Garden Layout and Community Participation

The garden layout was determined in collaboration with residents, prioritizing both functional and emotional plants. This included planting willows to provide shade for the terrace and maintaining a pathway for bicycles to enhance privacy, demonstrating attention to balancing beauty and functionality.

Visual Depth and Use of Plants

Dense foliage plants were used along the edges to enhance the sense of depth against dark green walls, creating a gradual and visually comfortable experience. This garden design strategy reflects a precise understanding of the impact of plants on the overall landscape and on users’ perception of the space.

Use of Materials and Highlighting Architectural Details

In terms of materials, the taquara ceiling and exposed structures in the social areas stand out, giving the space a sense of openness and transparency. Traditional elements are also evident in the exposed brick on the façade and kitchen, reclaimed wood floors and new Peroba Mica wood, along with painted baseboards in the bedrooms and “skirt-and-blouse” patterned ceilings.

Metalwork Design and Glazed Openings

The metalwork was executed without the use of aluminum, allowing for large glazed openings that admit natural light and enhance the sense of spaciousness. In the kitchen, the combination of wooden floors, taquara, and polished cement creates a warm atmosphere, while the double metal roof used in the extension and annex, paired with a coordinated green color palette, reinforces visual harmony with the rest of the building.

Lighting Between Old and Contemporary

The design focused on providing comfortable and balanced lighting, using decorative fixtures and focal points that blend old, contemporary, and natural elements. This balance between light and materials contributes to enhancing the interior ambiance and highlights architectural details thoughtfully, making the social spaces both attractive and functional.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Heloíza and Leonardo house project provides an example of attempting to combine traditional restoration with contemporary extensions, reflecting a clear attention to local materials and the connection between interior and exterior spaces. The use of elements such as taquara and reclaimed wood can be seen as a positive step in preserving the traditional character, while large glazed openings and the flexible interior layout enhance the experience of natural light and the connection to the garden.

However, the project raises questions regarding the balance between new additions and authenticity preservation. The annex building and expanded kitchen prompt inquiries about how well these interventions harmonize with the historical context of the house, and some traditional architectural details may become less prominent or lose their original impact. Additionally, the numerous exterior additions, such as the swimming pool, fire pit, and prayer area, might create a sense of functional dispersion rather than reinforcing a unified character of the residence.

From an architectural perspective, this project can serve as a case study on how to approach historic homes within a modern urban environment, highlighting the importance of balancing practical functions, privacy, and the preservation of traditional identity. It also offers an opportunity to review strategies for integrating contemporary extensions more cautiously within the original context, ensuring that heritage elements remain clear and are not lost among the new additions.