FR House
FR House is a minimalist residence located in São Paulo, Brazil, designed by Meireles + Pavan Arquitetura. In dense urban neighborhoods where greenery becomes increasingly precious, residential architecture faces a particular challenge – how to create genuine connection with nature without simply framing it as scenery. FR House approaches this through a methodology of layered thresholds, where the transition from street to garden unfolds gradually through a sequence of material and spatial filters. Rather than treating the landscape as backdrop, the architecture constructs a reciprocal relationship where interior volumes and exterior green spaces continuously inform one another.
The house establishes its logic from the entry sequence. A linear gallery transitions visitors from public sidewalk to private realm through a corridor lined with vertical wooden trunks and tropical vegetation. An exposed concrete canopy hovers slightly offset from the boundary wall, allowing slim bands of daylight to cast delicate shadows along the path. Underfoot, subtle interventions in pink and blue tones introduce an artistic layer that signals the contemplative atmosphere pervading the entire residence.
This calibrated approach to threshold extends throughout the ground floor social areas. Living, dining, terrace, and kitchen spaces open onto the garden through large glass sliding doors paired with adjustable wooden screens. The screening system offers variable control – residents can fully dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior or modulate light and airflow according to need. A continuous stone floor runs uninterrupted from inside to outside, materially reinforcing the spatial continuity while wooden wall cladding echoes the natural palette visible through the glazing.