Rio House | Olson Kundig

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Rio House | Olson Kundig

Information

  • Project Name: Rio House
  • Practice: Olson Kundig
  • Products: Ornilux , Deca , Gaggenau , Lutron , Wolf/Subzero
  • Completion year: 2018
  • Gross Built up Area: 1500 SF
  • Project Location: Rio de Janeiro
  • Country: Brazil
  • Lead Architects/Designer: Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA
  • Design Team: Project Architect: Edward Lalonde, Architectural Staff: Fergus Knox, Phil Turner, Gizmo Design
  • Structural Consultants: MCE Structural Consultants and Mauro Jorge
  • MEP Consultants: WSP and GreenWatt
  • Landscape Consultants: Isabel Duprat Landscape Architecture
  • Contractors: Construtora São Bento
  • Project Manager: Edward Lalonde, Jose Luiz Canal
  • Photo Credits: Maíra Acayaba
  • Others: Lighting Design: O- Lighting Design, Gizmo Design: KB Architectural Services with Phil Turner, Gizmo Fabricator: 12th Avenue Iron
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Excerpt: Rio House by Olson Kundig was designed as a secluded retreat in a rainforest canopy for the owner couple to escape city life’s distractions. Essentially a steel-and-glass box, the house hovers above the land supported structurally by two concrete piers. The entire structure makes use of local building methods, such as the Brazilian tradition of using colourful plaster over terracotta for the interior walls and board-formed concrete site walls.

Project Description

Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba

[Text as submitted by architect] After living in the urban core of Rio de Janeiro for many years, the clients wanted to build an intimate retreat on their property adjacent to the Tijuca National Park where they could enjoy books, art and especially the natural landscape. The primary design goal was to make the house as small as possible within its tropical jungle setting. The 1,500-square-foot house rises into the rainforest canopy – a secluded hideaway for the owner couple to retreat from the distractions of city life.

Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
Floor Plan © Olson Kundig
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba

Essentially a steel-and-glass box, the house hovers above the land supported structurally by two concrete piers, one of which also functions as an indoor/outdoor fireplace. Tucked into the juçara palm and cariniana trees on the 3.1-acre site, the north end of the home contains a single bedroom while the south end opens to views of the city, the sea, and Rio’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue. On the ground plane below, a screened porch and outdoor kitchenette allow the owners to engage the landscape.

Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba

Local construction techniques are incorporated throughout, including board-formed concrete site walls and interior walls of colorful plaster over terracotta in the Brazilian tradition. Floors are Brazilian wood and vermelhão stained concrete, a common vernacular tradition.

Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba
Rio House | Olson Kundig
© Maíra Acayaba

Painted, marine-grade stainless structural steel – the home’s primary material – stands up to the humid climate where corrosion is a concern. The home is designed for natural ventilation with manual pivot windows and retractable window walls with insect screens. These, along with a solar water heating system, allow the home to function during intermittent power outages.

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