House In Ruins / Messina

Architects: messina | rivas
Area: 211 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Federico Cairoli, messina | rivas
Arquitetura: Francisco Rivas, Rodrigo Messina
Civil Construction: Ribeiro Construçoes
City: Itupeva
Country: Brazil

A house in ruins on the outskirts of Itupeva, 80km from São Paulo, has been transformed by messina | rivas into two residences for local residents. Situated on a 19th-century farm, the design harmonizes the existing ruin with new architectural elements, creating a living space that blends historical significance with modern functionality.

The ruined house is situated on the outskirts of Itupeva, 80km from São Paulo, on a 19th-century farm. The project aimed to renovate this colonial stone ruin and transform it into two residences for local residents.

How to inhabit a ruin was a fundamental question. Initially seen as an abandoned construction, the ruin was later recognized for its existing habitabilities, such as plant life. This led to an architectural approach that integrates the new construction with the ruin, making architecture resurface from the existing structure.

A century-old rubber tree with aerial roots located in front of the ruin guided the creation of a central void, functioning as a courtyard between two autonomous houses. The strong stone walls of the ruin distinctly mark the divisions between exterior and interior spaces.

To make the ruin habitable, the architects created the conditions for a roof by utilizing the existing structure. A stone wall level was established to mark horizontality, from which a tie beam was constructed. This consolidated the walls, making them a foundation for a wooden roof built with eucalyptus from the surrounding trees.

The project emphasizes the duality between the stone’s weight and the wood’s lightness, reinforced by the contrast between opaque walls and roofs with openings. This creates a dynamic interplay, akin to a cloud hovering over a mountain.