The FP199 project is situated in a residential neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. Designed for a family with five children with different ages, the residence accommodates a wide range of daily routines and interests.
With a total built area of 2,500m², the project was completed in 2024. The sloped site defined the architectural strategy, enabling the distribution of the program over four levels—entry level, upper floor, and two basement levels—while maintaining a horizontal rather than a vertical organization.
A highlight of the design is the accessible green roof, which reinforces the project’s unique integration with the surrounding landscape.
A sloped terrain and an extensive residential architectural program — how to reconcile the two without resorting to verticalization? Our approach was to create a blind facade, without any openings except for the entrance door, and with a single-height volume. The only elements composing the facade are two sculptural staircases, carved in concrete, that provide access to the green, gently curved roof. This design introduces a sense of dynamism to the architectural form, while also defining a complex structural system with sufficient soil depth to support large trees.
The green roof, which features a generous garden primarily composed of edible plants — such as herbs, lemongrass, and leafy greens — forms a soft hill that integrates gracefully and naturally into the densely built surroundings.
From the entrance, circulation is distributed in three directions. On the ground floor, one can access the rear garden and swimming pool on the same level, through an interior hall with a variable ceiling height that reaches the equivalent of two floors. This space is punctuated by generous architectural voids filled with ponds and gardens, multiplying the number of facades and creating abundant opportunities for natural light, cross-ventilation, and expansive views.
The upper floor occupies the central volume of the residence and is accessed from the same hall via a linear open-riser staircase, illuminated by circular skylights. Through the same stairwell, two basement levels can be accessed, housing various service and leisure areas — most notably a large, climate-controlled sports gym located beneath the main garden and swimming pool.
The primary structural challenge was designing the veranda — the most utilized space in Brazilian homes — which spans 28 meters in length and 6 meters in depth, covered by the cantilevered upper-level bedrooms. The aim was to achieve this span without any columns and with a finishing beam only 20 cm in height. The curved forms of the green roof and the wooden ceiling of the veranda provide the solution. The roof’s curvature conceals metal trusses placed every 6 meters, simply supported on the internal façade of the pond and on just two round metal columns aligned with the openings between the living room and veranda. A third support, aligned with the upper-level bedrooms at the edge of the veranda, is suspended from the upper trusses. To complete this sophisticated structural system, metallic corbels are embedded into the curved veranda ceiling, contributing to the visual lightness of the composition.
Natural materials like concrete and wood lend a sense of contemporaneity to the austere, clean-lined design. Paradoxically, the project presents a brutalist expression paired with neutral, sophisticated interiors.
Sustainable strategies — including the green roof, water reuse, rainwater and HVAC condensation harvesting, certified wood and materials, energy generation, and other initiatives — earned the project a Gold certification from the Green Building Council (GBC).
