Blendahaus House / Estúdio MRGB

Architects: Estúdio MRGB
Area: 2260 ft²
Year: 2020
Photographs: Joana França
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Acervo Mobília, Concrefit, Dalle Piagge, Deca, Marmoraria Alvorada, Trimble, Vidromex
Lead Architects: Igor Campos e Hermes Romão
Project Team: Ana Carolina Moreth, Ana Orefice e Rodolfo Marques
Structural Calculation: ProEst
Installations: Mol! Egenharia
City: Brasilia
Country: Brazil

Blendahaus House, designed by Estúdio MRGB on the outskirts of Brasília, is a concrete and glass pavilion seamlessly integrated into a challenging forested site with a 9-meter slope. The house features a linear terrace roof, sequentially arranged spaces from street to forest, and a main structure of two primary concrete beams supported by four columns. The design balances light and shadow, merging the natural and built environments, creating a serene living space amidst the native cerrado vegetation.

A concrete and glass house in the forest—this foundational idea guided all design solutions for Blendahaus, located on the outskirts of Brasília. Situated on a challenging site with a 9-meter slope and surrounded by an ecological reserve of native cerrado vegetation, the house is designed as a 28-meter-long suspended pavilion.

The house blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Due to the challenging geographical conditions and the pavilion-like design, the roof transforms into a linear terrace that extends over the forest. Simultaneously, it serves as a versatile ground plane, offering various uses and providing views of the serene, bucolic environment.

The spaces in Blendahaus are sequentially arranged in an east-west orientation, from the street toward the forest, varying between open and sheltered. The office and laundry, located next to the concrete curtain, form a private programmatic core. The kitchen and living room occupy the central area, fully integrated with each other and the surroundings. The intimate areas are positioned near the trees, creating a harmonious connection with the woods. These carefully designed spaces balance light and shadow, sharing and reflecting, and the natural and built environments.

As the project’s main architectural feature, the structure consists of two primary concrete beams, each 1.40 meters high, supported by four columns. To secure the structure transversely, additional girders were placed in the roof slab, doubling as benches on the terrace and shielding the zenithal lighting for the bathrooms below. This delicate balance is maintained by two pairs of steel tethers: one set between the main column axes and another at the edge of the 7.50-meter cantilever opposite the street. This configuration allows the concrete pavilion to hover above the sloping terrain, aligning the interior spaces with the natural reserve.

The simplicity of the design is seen as the source of its spatial strength. Thus, concrete and glass were selected as the primary materials to create a living space for the family among the treetops.