Isabelle Laurent
Located on a plot of land overlooking a large lake in the outskirts of São Paulo, the TM House was built for a mother and her two daughters. In a non- orthogonal implementation, it was designed to fit into the contour lines of the sloping terrain.
This single-story home, which houses different generations of the same family, also defines its programmatic organization based on the family structure: a block for the matriarch, where the social area and the master suite are located; and a block for each of the daughters, with their respective suites. A fourth block, of topographic appearance, mimicks the relief, and houses a spa, a garage and a service area.
All blocks are connected by covered walkways, in an architectural gesture that not only creates a physical passage between the spaces, but also poetically represents their family connection. In the main block, the social program is distributed lengthwise, with gardens creating visual protections in the transitions to intimate areas, in addition to promoting cross ventilation between spaces.
An external landscaped staircase leads down to the pool, for which different height tests were carried out during the project so that its position did not obstruct the view from the house to the lake.
An outer skin composed of Venetian blinds, chosen by the client, envelops the volumes. Built with a metal structure, the house is protected by eaves whose cantilevers extend up to six meters, providing protection from solar incidence and creating generous transition areas between the interior and exterior.
Project info:
Architects: Jacobsen Arquitetura Country: Porto Feliz, Brazil
Area: 2458 m² Year: 2022
Project Team: Paulo Jacobsen, Bernardo Jacobsen, Edgar Murata, Marcelo Vessoni, Fernanda Maeda, Marina Budib, Alan Cruciti, Alexandre Gravalos, Bianca Pastori, Fernando Lima
Landscape: Rodrigo Oliveira
Lighting: Maneco Quinderé
Structure: Leão e Associados
Tags: 2022BrazilJacobsen ArquiteturaPorto FelizTM House
Isabelle Laurent
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial
