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Location: Manaus, Brazil
Project size: 4,340 square feet

Program: Casa da Sombra (Shade House), created by Laurent Troost Architectures for a couple with a daughter, showcases an architectural solution tailored to the needs of a client who suffers from photophobia, or an extreme sensitivity to light.

Design Solution: To prevent direct sunlight from entering the interior of the house, concrete walls were designed to filter the light before it reaches a glass wall positioned behind internal and external gardens located within cutouts in the concrete structure.

On the upper floor, soft morning natural light enters the primary suite through small openings and, in the afternoon, light is filtered to gently illuminate the daughter’s room. Meanwhile, the living room integrates seamlessly with the garden at the property’s boundaries, maximizing the sense of spaciousness. A wooden panel occupies the southern side of the floor plan, providing privacy for specific areas, such as the family’s piano space, while also housing access to the upper floor, kitchen, and barbecue area. The remaining sections of the living room were kept open, enhancing the visual connection with the outdoors.

Double concrete walls above the pool and in the upper gardens feature openings that allow air circulation, ensuring thermal comfort. Gardens between the garage and the living room, as well as on the upper floors, offer views of the street and surrounding area while ensuring the necessary shading and preserving the site’s trees.

To accommodate the absence of direct sunlight in the house, floor-level lighting fixtures were installed in the living room, hallways, and bedrooms on the upper floors, ensuring proper illumination and comfort.

Photo © Joana França

Structure and Materials: The idea was to use a minimum of materials. The project team utilized exposed concrete outside, then created a contrast with the material by working with porcelain tiles for the garage. Apart from conventional plaster, treated yellow ipê was used for the interiors to give it a strong material identity.

Additional Information
Completion date: June 2023
Site size: .13 acres
Total construction cost: $347,000
Client/Owner: Withheld

Photos © Joana França

Images courtesy Laurent Troost Architectures; click to enlarge