Photos: Bruno Pinheiro / Disclosure
In Trancoso, in the state of Bahia, there is a house as charming as the place, named by its creators Casa Altar. With a large dome that houses the project, it truly feels like being on an altar: a perfect home to gather all those we care regarding and love.
Thinking precisely regarding this integration between guests, Flavio Marelim, architect of the As Casas group, decided to also integrate all physical environments. Thus, all the rooms, living rooms and even the swimming pool converge to a single point, the kitchen, a place of welcome and connection. With few walls and doors, nature also enters the project, in a complete integration between elements.
For these and other reasons, this week’s Open House is for Casa Altar! I talked to Flávio and showed him every last detail of the project. There are many highlights of the architecture and the idea: from the stone pool, the outdoor shower made from wooden logs, the giant domus and its construction, the secret room, the use of demolition wood, photovoltaic energy… You will see with what care everything was thought out at Casa Alta.
To see the complete visit, just press PLAY!
For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded.
I Accept
Casa de Valentina: What was the inspiration for the project?
Flavio Marelim: “Casa Altar was inspired by a social center. The initial idea was to make all environments converge in one large room: the bedrooms, the kitchen, even the swimming pool enters through the living room. Inspiration is really an altar for the coexistence of family and friends.”
CV: What regarding architecture integration? What was the inspiration?
Flavio Marelim: “The architecture was inspired by the Cross of São Bento. Everything in it converges in the heart of the cross, and that heart, in the project, is the kitchen integrated into the living room, the living center.”
CV: What do you like most regarding the project?
Flavio Marelim: “What impresses most regarding Casa Altar is its integration with nature. We work with very few doors and walls, everything is an open space with windows and shutters, allowing nature to enter the house. This is one of the great differentials of the project.”
CV: What were the materials used?
Flavio Marelim: “Starting from the premise that nature invades the house, we work with the most organic materials possible: demolition wood, centenary pequis pieces, lots of piassava, stone pool, outdoor shower inside wooden logs. We also brought nature into the house’s descriptive memorial, which creates the feeling that the house was born within nature.”
CV: How do you rate Casa Altar?
Flavio Marelim: If we had to classify this project, I would say that it is a re-exodus. The exodus was when we left the fields and went to the cities, and the reexodus is the return from the metropolises to the fields, to the resorts, to the beaches. And the house is organic, I would not classify it as modern, contemporary or classic, and it is self-sustaining with photovoltaic energy.
CV: And what do guests highlight at Casa Altar?
Flavio Marelim: Guests who choose Casa Altar for their vacation want to live together. It’s an intimate home, to be with your friends and the people you love.
CV: Were there any changes during the work?
Flavio Marelim: Throughout the work, we had a pleasant surprise. As our land has a downward movement, when starting work on the social center we discovered the possibility of having another suite, a private suite. So at the same time we have an “invisible” suite and another living space.
