The 6,000 m² plot of land was empty: there wasn't a single tree nearby when architect
Roberto de Pietro began designing this house in Quinta da Baroneza, in the interior of São Paulo. The modern construction needed greenery all around, but it needed a in a way that did not hide its architecture. And that's when landscaper
Roberto Riscala entered the story and the two professionals ended up creating a project together.
"The idea was to create a microclimate, a garden that would surround the house and block the view of the street," explains Riscala. Since it is located in a gated community, there are no fences around the building, which ended up being delimited by bushes, flowerbeds and trees. . Here the landscaper faced a challenge: as the
garden had to be delivered ready to the client, the plants were already brought in when they were fully grown - including the trees.
"The sibipirunas on the land had to be lifted with a crane" , he recalls.
As the terrain is uneven, the house was divided into three levels: the entrance and social area are at street level, the pool is on the central axis and, in the lowest part, a living room was created under the pergola. The entrance to the house is marked by
imperial palm trees that line cobblestone paths. A reflecting pool surrounds the entrance portico and flowerbeds of
guaiambés and
bluegrass create volumes. "It is a large garden, like a park, which does not hide the architecture of the house", explains Riscala.
The open spaces are widely explored on the side of this first level, where the glass walls of the living room create an internal-external connection and also highlight a unique element of the entire project: the sculpture signed by
Gustavo Rosa . "It was the last sculpture he did in life", recalls the landscaper.
Another solution created by the landscaping project was the
green roof over the garage: here, desert and resistant plants such as
succulents appear, since they are exposed directly to the sun. This feature helps with the thermal comfort of the house.
In the steep drop between the first and second plateaus, architecture and landscaping worked together. A giant gable marks the side of the module that houses the social areas that overlook the pool, and the two blocks are connected by a walkway with glass walls. . And below this passage,
a new garden appears in the sloped area .
"It's almost a
vertical garden , but without being completely vertical. Here we use
peanut grass, phoenix palms, cycads, agaves ... These are species that don't need much maintenance, since it's not a very practical part of the land to grow. if you access it", says Riscala.
All this green area also serves as a backdrop for the TV room on the lower floor - the glass doors and the angle of the terrain create the unusual illusion of
a green wall with palm trees .
The infinity pool is elevated on the ground and its wall is exposed. To camouflage the structure, flowerbeds of
allamandas create a sinuous design and disguise the unevenness.
Finally, on the lowest level of the land, a seating area was created under the pergola. The English brick columns were covered with cumaru, which is home to
spring and
seven-league vines. Pebbles on the floor make the space more cozy.
The fireplace area is surrounded by
emerald grass and flower beds that provide privacy.
