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Vila Matilde House – São Paulo [Brazil]

It was in 2011 when Studio Terra e Tuma Architects from São Paulo was approached by a young man with a very delicate request: to built a house for his mother Dona Dalva, a lady on her 70s, with very low budget. His mother’s house was collapsing and with serious health and safety issues. The studio took the challenge on board.

Dona Dalva, has livid in the Vila Matilde neighborhood of São Paulo for over a decade. Once her former house started to collapse, she had two options with her sparse savings: move away from her beloved neighborhood and family to a small flat or rebuilt her house – not knowing if her budget was enough to do so.

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Terra e Tuma took up the challenge to build her the so dreamed safe and beautiful home, respecting her heritage and her budget. The project started in 2014 and the greatest challenge was to fix the foundation of the house. That took 6 months –  so the house could become a reality.

TerraETuma.CasaVIlaMatilde Front Trendland

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With commitment and the expertise of the team, the studio was able to deliver a project drawn from resilience from the Dona Dalva. The house is planned on split-levels and counts with two unsuited bedrooms, living spaces and terrace with an edible garden – structurally sound to be built upon the future living demands of the family. The ground floor courtyard was cleverly planned for light and ventilation of the house, allowing also for the visual connectedness of the space.

Terra e Tuma used their experience in building with exposed, structural wall blocks to build a low-cost house, with great planning and agility. Most of all, the house is an exquisite and clever example of a belief in one’s dream – no matter what the challenge.

Just like the name of its owner, Dalva in Portuguese means ‘the brightest start’, the house has had its share in the spotlight and been awarded best architecture prizes internationally.

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A simple solution, the result of a long, complex and gratifying process.

Terra e Tuma

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TerraETuma.CasaVilaMatilde Interior Trendand

TerraETuma.CasaVilaMatilde Inner Space Trendland

Architecture: Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados
Danilo Terra, Pedro Tuma and Fernanda Sakano, Bruna Hashimoto, Giulia Sofia Galante, Jéssica Zanini, Lucas Miilher, Zeno Muica

Landscape: Gabriella Ornaghi Arquitetura da Paisagem
Structure: Megalos Engenharia
Construction: Valdionor Andrade de Carvalho e equipe
Photography: Pedro Kok




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