Panoramic House

Architecture that proactively harmonises with the lifestyles and needs of its inhabitants, aiming to encourage relationships, facilitate people’s routine, offer security and comfort and inspire good behaviours and habits, especially in terms of environmental sustainability. This is the idea of architecture applied by Eliza Schuchovski of the Schuchovski Arquitetura firm, designers of the Panoramic House private home in Itajaí, Brazil.

Located in the south of the country, in the state of Santa Catarina, the city of Itajaí is well known as the site of one of Brazil’s most important ports. The land where the Panoramic House stands is part of a luxury private complex five kilometres from the city centre, at Brava Beach. A home on the beach: this is what the clients wished for. A spacious house with a variety of communal areas, immersed in its natural surroundings with the benefit of breath-taking panoramas and an ocean view. They also wanted a place that would express the Brazilian identity, with its natural propensity for social relationships and sharing, and its pleasure in the beauty of the lush landscape and varied materials and colours.

Eliza Schuchovski responded to these inputs with a building that makes full use of the potentials offered by the location. The biggest challenge was the uneven terrain, with its many changes in levels. The project exploits the site’s characteristics by extending mainly horizontally, except for the vertical glass cube which becomes the focal point of the home as well as providing plenty of natural daylight and a view of the beach from the mezzanine floor.

Great care was taken over the design of the communal areas: a large living room with sofas and armchairs and a gourmet area connected to the outdoor patio with pool. The spacious entrance zones encourage interaction between the rooms and thus between their users. The dining-room has a table which seats twelve and is separated by a partition from another, smaller room for family meals. On the ground floor, the communal areas face east to enjoy the best view of the panorama, as does the master bedroom on the second floor, which directly overlooks the beach.

The project’s distinctively Brazilian spirit is grounded in meticulously chosen materials, with natural elements, textures and colours selected to underline the building’s key characteristics: harmony with the natural surroundings, strategic use of the panorama and technological innovation to improve sustainability. Laminam large slabs feature prominently: the I Naturali collection, in Pietra di Savoia Avorio Bush-Hammered shade, was used here for the floorings and stairs.

Pietra di Savoia Avorio Bush-Hammered communicates an air of lightness together with a multifaceted functionality: its subtle ivory colour accentuates its versatility, enabling it to adapt to the most widely different styles and to indoor or outdoor locations and also to add elegance to the interior design scheme. The bush-hammered finish is an ideal cladding for floors and transit areas, especially in view of its functional properties: impact and slip resistance, easy cleaning and hygiene.