When we first visited the plot located in a gated community near Salvador, what immediately caught our attention was the presence of several large almond trees scattered across the land. Despite neighbors advising their removal due to the abundance of falling leaves, our premise—shared with the clients, a couple with one child—was to preserve as much of the existing greenery as possible.

The requested program was a house with multiple bedrooms (5 + 1 office that could also serve as a guest room), as the family frequently hosts relatives and friends visiting Bahia. The rest of the home was designed to accommodate the family’s dynamic in a functional yet uncomplicated way, without overlooking formal considerations.

Mindful of the couple’s understated elegance and aesthetic sensibilities, we proposed a glued laminated timber (GLT) structure to combine rationality and beauty.

The house’s layout prioritized not only tree preservation but also optimal sunlight exposure. In Bahia, where the climate is warm year-round, we avoided north and west orientations. Some bedrooms face east and south, while the social areas and veranda primarily open toward the south.

In contrast to the strong rhythm of the timber structure, the upper floor was entirely clad in aluminum louvers. These open like sliding doors (portas-camarão) in the bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms but, when closed, create a unified volume.

The organic shapes of the pool, alongside the garden designed by Rodrigo Oliveira, form an oasis amid Bahia’s intense heat