ARQBR weaves open space into Couri House in Brasília

Architecture firm ARQBR has completed a family house in Brasília that features a ribbon-shaped plan and a central courtyard with a swimming pool.

The Couri House sits on a 713-square-metre plot within a residential neighbourhood in Brazil's capital city. The property features a single Pequi tree – a protected species that is native to the region.

ARQBR built Couri House in Brasília

Adjacent to the lot is non-buildable, public green space with a newly planted forest.

It is within this context that local firm ARQBR was tasked with designing a small, single-storey home with lots of open space for a five-member family.

The dwelling is roughly Z-shaped in plan

The architects conceived a low-lying, 340-square-metre dwelling that is roughly Z-shaped in plan and stretches nearly the depth of the site.

This configuration allowed for a large, internal patio with a swimming pool and enabled the preservation of the Pequi tree, which sits in the centre of the property.

ARQBR configured the project with an internal patio featuring a swimming pool

"The solution was to launch a ribbon-shaped plan that develops around the lot, adjusting to its perimeter and forming voids integrated with gardens and with the occupation of the house itself," the firm said.

"Due to the limited land area, it was challenging to distribute the entire program of needs on a single floor, preserving the existing 'pequizeiro' tree, and still configure qualified unbuilt spaces."

The home has a concrete structural system

The home has a concrete structural system, with average spans of five metres. Walls are made of ceramic block masonry that was painted white.

On the front facade, an absence of windows conceals what lies within the dwelling. The garage and front entrance are marked with honey-toned wood.

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The interior layout has a clear separation between shared and private spaces.

The front portion encompasses a garage, living room, kitchen and dining area. The back wing holds a media room and four bedrooms, each with their own bathroom.

A kitchen and dining area is located in the front portion

The owners must pass through the central patio to reach the two different zones.

"The distribution of the spaces and their relationships promote unusual paths through the house, for it is natural to walk through an open space to reach a closed one," the team said.

ARQBR weaved open space into the project

"In this way, everyday life experiences this relationship of continuity between inside and outside – and through it, contact with nature and the sky."

Other projects in Brasília include a concrete home by Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura that has light wells and an angular roof, and an all-white home by Bloco Arquitetos that is composed of irregularly stacked boxes.

The photography is byJoana França.

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CLB Architects arranges Japan-influenced Wyoming home around courtyard gardens

US firm CLB Architects has blended Japanese and mid-century Californian architecture styles for this house in Jackson, Wyoming, which is broken up by a trio of courtyards.

The Tengoku Residence is located in the ski resort town of Jackson, at the base of the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is situated next to a small marshy artificial pond in a grove of blue spruce.

CLB Architects designed a Japanese-influenced home in Wyoming

Locally based CLB Architects noted that the design — influenced by both Japanese architecture and California modernism – is a departure from the mountain modernism typical of vacation homes built in the region.

The four-bedroom home is arranged around a number of garden courtyards that extend through the roof, letting trees grow up and out through round apertures. The entry and dining courtyards are planted with aspens, while the the main courtyard has an Amur maple.

The Tengoku Residence is arranged around three courtyards

"There's a strong contrast between the quiet, protected courtyard spaces and the long, dramatic views of the Tetons," said Kevin Burke, design principal for the project. "Weaving the house in and out of these courtyards while maintaining consistent long views makes for a dynamic experience throughout."

Tengoku was chosen as the project's name for it loose translation to "paradise" or "heaven", alluding to the courtyards and the open views of the misty peaks from inside the glazed living areas.

One of the courtyards was placed at the entrance

The facade of the home is simple and linear. It sits low against a small eastern rise covered in desert shrubs. A chimney of structural concrete rises with the change in the elevation of the roof.

Two different heights of the rock-covered roof give the home visual depth, while deep overhangs shelter a seating area and garden plots on the west side.

The Teton Range can be seen through glass walls

Facing the mountains, the west side has walls of uninterrupted glass, while the east side — where there is an entryway and garage — is more closed, with vertical planks of western red cedar.

"The courtyards allow you to always have a direct visual connection with nature," said Burke. "As one moves through the home from one space to the next, there's always the ability to connect with the outdoor environment."

An office overlooks the small pond on the property

The rich red cedar is also used in the walls of the courtyards, which have shaped to create interesting light patterns as the sun moves across the home.

"I love the curvilinear openings over the courtyards, which we nicknamed 'the guitar picks'," Burke said. "It was a chance to have a little bit of fun and whimsy, while also connecting to a mid-century modern feel."

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The living spaces snake around the three internal courtyards in an "S" shape.

"Each resulting zone of the house feels like a small pavilion, with access to natural daylight and ventilation on multiple sides to encourage passive ventilation," said the studio.

The double-sided fireplace faces towards the kitchen and den

To compensate for the region's wide temperature swings, the home's clerestory windows are operable for airflow in the summer and are triple-paned for heat retention during the frigid Wyoming winters.

The living room, dining room, and kitchen are located in the central, double-height part of the building.

White cabinetry sits below operable clerestory windows

Light oak flooring and white cabinetry in this space were chosen to keep "focus on the landscape outside".

Slabs of Caracas blue limestone line the double-sided fireplace that faces the living room and a den.

The Tengoku Residence has two different roof heights

A piece of amethyst placed beside the south-facing entrance window illuminates the adjacent space with decorative purple light.

The wings of the house contain the bedrooms as well as an office space, which has a full view of the mountains.

Thick glass panes keeps the home warm during harsh Wyoming winters

Other projects designed by CLB Architects in and around Jackson include a home with five different agrarian-influenced structures and a massive timber public art installation meant to function as a gathering place.

The summer photography is byJohn Ellis. Winter photography is by Matthew Millman.

---

Project credits:

CLB Architects team: Kevin Burke, Eric Logan, Bryan James, Leo Naegele, Jen Mei, Cynthia Tibbitts.

General contractor: Two Ocean Builders (general contractor)

Structural engineer: KLA

Mechanical engineer: Energy One

Landscape architecture: Agrostis

Lighting designer: Helius Lighting Group

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Grassy courtyard forms heart of Brazilian house by Shieh Arquitetos

Shieh Arquitetos Associados has organised this residence in Brazil around a lush courtyard so that its residents can "step onto grass from the bedrooms".

The Courtyard House for Two Boys was completed for a family with young sons in Vinhedo, a city roughly one hour's drive from São Paulo. The family needed to remain close to the city, but wanted a calmer environment where they could spend the majority of their time.

Rooms surround a grassy central area at Courtyard House for Two Boys

"Completed shortly before the pandemic, the house became a universe for parents and children," said Shieh Arquitetos Associados, a studio based in São Paulo.

A central courtyard is the organising element of the home, and is surrounded by standalone structures that contain the home's living and dining rooms, bedrooms, and pool.

Living spaces open directly onto the courtyard

"The courtyard, central to everyone, is the spirit of the place," said the architects. "From all rooms, rain can be seen watering the singular yellow Ipe."

"On a sunny day, one can see the children playing in the garden," they added.

Glass partitions slide back to seamlessly connect outside and in

Besides a mezzanine in the living and dining room, the 400-square-metre home is laid out on a single level.

"With young children, the preference was for a single-story house, where one could step onto grass from the bedrooms," explained Shieh Arquitetos Associados.

Separate blocks that frame the courtyard are linked by a planted roof

The residence occupies a corner lot, and is accessed via a short flight of exterior stairs that leads to a covered terrace links directly with the courtyard.

The living areas and pool frame either side of the central outdoor area, while three bedrooms at the back of the property also face onto the grass.

Concrete blocks are left exposed through the interiors

Each of these rooms has tall sliding glass doors that open to courtyard, creating continuity between the home's interior and exterior spaces.

Although each of these volumes is separate, they share a roof that runs continuously around the perimeter of the home.

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Plenty of plants atop this concrete slab help reinforce the courtyard's lush feeling.

There is also a terrace on the upper level that is accessible through the mezzanine in the living and dining room.

A swimming pool occupies one of the standalone volumes

"With the creation a mezzanine, a double-height ceiling is established in the living room – which receives shading of a wooden screen on the face of the patio," said Shieh Arquitetos Associados.

"In terms of materiality, an austere palette has the aspiration that the construction can get better with the passage of time," it continued.

An upper floor terrace is accessible via a staircase in the living area

The structural concrete blocks, concrete beams, and panelised slabs were all left exposed.

"The finishes follow the same thinking: flooring is either hardwood or Portuguese mosaic stones," said the architects.

The house sits on a corner lot in Vinhedo, near São Paulo

Shieh Arquitetos Associados was founded in 1976 by Shieh Shueh Yau. It is now a family business, which he runs with Leonardo Shieh, Irene Shieh, and Kathia Shieh in São Paulo.

Other projects in and aroun the Brazilian city include an apartment by Julliana Camargo for a fashion editor that uses a vibrant color palette and a single-family home that Superlimão converted to accommodate a yoga studio, co-working space, and rental apartment for an entrepreneurial family.

The photography is by Leonardo Shieh.

---

Project credits:

Architects: Shieh Arquitetos Associados (Leonardo Shieh, Shieh Shueh Yau, Irene Shieh, Victoria Mendes Ribeiro, Karen Minoda, Nathalia Grippa, Ricardo Azevedo, Rodrigo Chedid)

Structural engineering: WE Engenharia

MEP engineering: Infraenge

Landscape design: Regen Ecossistemas

Soil consultant: MG&A Consultores de Solo

Contractor: Reginaldo Carvalho

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A minimalist white house in Mexico features in today's Dezeen Debate newsletter

The latest edition of Dezeen Debate, the new name for our Dezeen Weekly newsletter, features a minimalist white house in Mexico.

Commenters are amazed by the Mexican villa, which Cotaparedes Arquitectos designed as "introspective architecture" focused on a pair of courtyards.

The house is located in La Piedad, a city that sits roughly halfway between Guadalajara and the capital Mexico City.

One reader called the project their "favourite" in the comments section.

Theaster Gates unveils Black Chapel as 2022 Serpentine Pavilion

Other stories in this week's newsletter include the design for this year's Serpentine Pavilion, MVRDV's claim that Westminster City Council's execution of Marble Arch Mound was "loveless", and the most architecturally significant venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Subscribe to Dezeen Weekly

Dezeen Debate is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing highlights from Dezeen. [_Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate](https://newsletter.dezeen.com/t/r-439AFE31540E365F2540EF23F30FEDED) _.

You can alsosubscribe to Dezeen Agenda, which is sent every Tuesday and contains a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, as well as [_Dezeen Daily](https://www.dezeen.com/dezeendaily/) _, our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen.

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Felipe Escudero arranges concrete house around central magnolia tree

Estudio Felipe Escudero has built an Ecuadorian house around a central courtyard, which features the firm's first furniture collection.

The 7,535 square feet (700 square metres) Magnolia House is located at the top of a mountain valley in the Los Arrayanas neighbourhood of Puembo, Ecuador.

The house is built around a central magnolia tree

The minimalist, one-storey dwelling is arranged around a central courtyard that frames a large magnolia tree placed within a plant-covered patio.

Architect Felipe Escudero constructed the house for his mother, whose childhood love of magnolia trees informed the project. "The entire house revolves around the tree," he told Dezeen.

It is located at the top of a mountain valley

Described by the studio as looking like "a spaceship that has just landed", the large home is topped by a flat concrete slab with large spans and overhangs.

"This allows a traditionally rigid and heavy material to look like it's floating in space," explained Escudero, who also noted that the overhangs provide natural cooling to the spaces below them.

Felipe Escudero was informed by his mother's affinity to magnolia trees

The concrete slab is interrupted only by the home's focal magnolia tree – the top of which can be seen protruding from the central, open-air courtyard.

The concrete roof dips to form sloping walls that partially enclose the courtyard, which is accessed through glass doors in floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Bedrooms can be found on each side of the house

Visitors enter the house via a spacious foyer that faces the courtyard. To the left of the house is a children's bedroom and bathroom as well as the main bedroom, bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.

Beyond the central courtyard on the same side, is an indoor/outdoor living room that is split between inside and outside spaces partitioned by large sliding doors, which lead to a vast deck that overlooks a long swimming pool in the garden.

The home features furniture from the firm's first collection

On the right-hand side of the house, a guest bedroom and bathroom are located next to a smaller bathroom for visitors, while both a main and a secondary kitchen can also be found near the deck.

Flanked by the indoor living room and main kitchen on either side, an open-plan dining space features a marble-topped table and textured chairs from Near Life, the architecture studio's first and almost all-white furniture collection.

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Describing the collection, Escudero said, "it is inspired by nature in a similar way to how the house was inspired by magnolia trees. Each product is designed to feel animated as if it were given a soul".

This furniture includes two bulbous white pouffes that were placed on the deck where visitors can sit and overlook the pool, while other white seating resembling organic forms featurs in the living rooms.

The living room can be split between inside and outside through sliding doors

"Handcraft is paired with technology to mould materials in innovative ways to produce effects that change depending on the light and the user's point of view," continued Escudero.

"This results in objects that look like fossils from the future, expressing atemporal traits."

Lighting encased in a bubble-like, transparent tube is suspended above the dining table

Other highlights are a 3D-printed, glass fibre sculpture, as well as strip lighting encased in a bubble-like, transparent tube.

Reflecting on Magnolia House's atmosphere, Escudero said, "my mother has always had an interest in modern art, so the architecture, interiors and gardens in the home follow this art form."

"They combine hyper-functionalism with playful use of shapes, and magic, almost impossible use of materials."

Magnolia House features two kitchens

Felipe Escudero founded his eponymous firm in 2012 after working at other architecture offices including the British Heatherwick Studio and Beijing-based MAD.

Previous projects by Estudio Felipe Escudero include a cheese factory's warehouses and offices that feature a wave-like roof designed to echo the nearby Andes mountains and a Quito house he constructed for himself, which is equipped with space to make rap music.

The photography is courtesy of Estudio Felipe Escudero.

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Psychologists office and tranquil garden hidden behind concrete wall in Uruguay

Architects Pedro Livni and Rafael Solano have created a psychologist's office behind a tall concrete wall in Ciudad de la Costa, Uruguay.

Located within the garden of an existing property, the low-slung structure encompasses 35 square metres and is hidden by a wall that runs its full width.

The psychologist's office stands behind a concrete wall

Only a door and a circular aperture, which was informed by the work of American artist Gordon Matta-Clark – who was known for cutting holes in existing buildings, breaking through the concrete wall.

While the door leads into the psychologist's office, the circle connects the larger garden with a small private courtyard space.

A circular opening connects the two gardens

"Located at the back of a parcel, a wall is built that hides the room and defines a garden inside another garden," explained Livni and Solano.

"Thinking of Matta-Clark, a big hole breaks through the wall and connects both gardens."

An enclosed courtyard was built next to the office

The main facade is defined by an oversized sculptural gutter, which cantilevers over the entrance and directs rainwater from the roof onto a boulder that was placed beside the front door.

Patients enter below this overhang office into a small waiting area, which adjoins a kitchenette and restroom.

The psychologist's office itself occupies roughly half of the small building and has a row of windows that look out onto the enclosed courtyard space.

The office looks onto the courtyard

The office is clad Eucalyptus-panelling, chosen by the architects as an economical choice that matched the owner's budget.

A doorway connects the space directly to the garden allowing patients and the doctor to use the outdoor space during their sessions.

There is a young tree planted in the middle of the garden, which echoes the circular opening of the main wall, and a simple bench running along the facade, beneath the windows.

The office's interior

The exterior was finished with cementitious fibre panels, which was also chosen as a budget-friendly decision.

These long, thin panels were laid horizontally to accentuate the building's low profile.

Ciudad de la Costa is a mid-sized city in Uruguay that is considered part of the metropolitan area of Montevideo, the capital.

Other projects in the South American country include a parking garage topped with a verdant terrace and a beach house on stilts that is clad in blackened timber by FRAM Arquitectos and Delfina Riverti.

The photography is byMarcos Guiponi.

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ODA proposes New York rezoning scheme to swap height restrictions for public space

Architecture office ODA has proposed a rezoning plan for New York that would allow developers to build higher in return for turning private courtyards into public space.

Called Beyond the Street, the scheme aims to address the loss of the city's traditional mixed-use neighbourhoods, where people can live, work and enjoy leisure time, due to development.

ODA has proposed a rezoning scheme for New York

ODA's proposal would allow developers to build more private spaces above street level in exchange for creating more pedestrianised areas for the public at ground level.

The practice, which was founded in 2007, has produced a video (above) explaining Beyond the Street's goals.

Private courtyards could be turned into public space

"The decline of traditional street-level retail, which typically covers the majority of the ground floor in many of the city's buildings has inspired us to seek more engaging and inclusive programming to replace it," said ODA.

"In order to level the playing field, we need to create a more democratic and accessible ground floor experience that serves everyone, not just the wealthy who live above it," added the New York-based studio.

"There's an increasing desire to live in mixed-use neighborhoods that are walkable, diverse and accessible. We need to replace big box retail with more desirable local mom and pop shops and food and beverage experiences, which have been driven out."

Developers could add height onto buildings in return for public space

ODA looked at Manhattan's Flower District as a case study. Located in the Chelsea neighbourhood between Broadway to 6th Avenue between 23rd and 33rd, the block became a hub for the city's immigrant flower sellers in the 18th century.

But by the end of the 20th century, rising rents and land values had pushed many flower wholesalers out of business as developers building high rises moved in. In 2004, the New York Times reported that the number of flower businesses in the district had fallen to just 32.

Flower District vendors have been pushed out of the area

A scheme such as Beyond the Street could revitalise the Flower District, ODA suggested, by encouraging the next wave of developers to carve out more space for vendors.

"Typical lots between 6th and 7th Avenues are 100 foot (30 metres) deep and vary in width," said the studio.

"However, the buildings, for the most part, provide required light and air at the back, creating a somewhat secret courtyard at the inside of every city block," added ODA.

"The Flower District currently has many underused parking lots, which would provide the initial infrastructure for passageways to and from the courtyards."

New cafes could open on the ground floor

These pedestrian zones would be privately owned public spaces, sometimes called POPs, similar to London's Heatherwick Studio-designed Coal Drops Yard. ODA envisages them filled with shops, eateries and open-air markets.

The Beyond the Street rezoning model could be used to revitalise many areas of New York, said the studio.

"Vibrant pedestrian attractions such as the High Line, Madison Square Park and the new Little Island show that breathing life into often unused spaces are possible with great design and a little bit of landscaping," said ODA.

"The result is a win-win, the private investor gets a taller building, while the city and the public get new more interactive public spaces."

Parking lots could be turned into access roads

ODA's proposal is not the first to suggest harnessing developer financing to try and benefit neighbourhoods.

New York's Metro Transport Authority is collaborating with the city's planning department to lobby for updating zoning regulations so that developers could gain planning approval in return for improving subway station accessibility by building more elevators.

On Billionaire's Row, developer Sedesco is seeking authorisation to add more floorspace to a proposed supertall skyscraper by OMA in return for improving 57th Street's F train subway station.

Recent projects by ODA include an apartment block in Dumbo and an office built in a converted Brookly sugar factory.

The renders are by SeeThree.

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The Islamic Courtyard ~

Beautiful

Marrakech, Morocco