Second Skin Created from White Bricks in this House in Brasília

Important public buildings in Brasilia have white as the predominant external color, whether in painted surfaces or coverings. It can be said that the color white is, therefore, an important architectural element in the Monumental Axis in Brasília. Therefore, the decision to paint the house white came from the idea of appropriating this characteristic of the city. The color white also functions as a common “language” that unites the different materials in the building, such as concrete, masonry, metal and solid bricks. The White Bricks House was built in an extremely artisanal way by masons-craftsmen, in a slow and precise process. Although it is a constructive process that is not very widespread in Brasília nowadays, the use of exposed solid bricks has a constructive complexity that requires precision and constructive refinement, elements that are very present in the most representative public buildings of Brasilia. Built on a residential complex in the Lago Sul region of Brasília, the White Bricks House´s program was distributed around the perimeter of the plot so that all the main rooms of the house could face the central area, with a large green area and a semi-Olympic lap pool. Therefore, the bedrooms, living rooms, verandas, kitchen and even the garage were directed towards the large garden environment that functions as a central patio. The facades are covered by an outer layer of solid bricks painted white. Its different degrees of openness are formed by the variable spacing between the bricks. The level of visibility through the bricks reflects the different levels of privacy that are desired for each room. The “hollow” spaces between the bricks also allow for natural cross ventilation. Therefore, the bricks form a “second facade” that has the function of controlling direct sunlight, natural ventilation, and the desired privacy. The bricks have elongated sizes that we designed specifically for the house. The spaced bricks reinterpret one of the most relevant architectural elements in Brasilia, the “cobogó” (breezeblock), that is so important for ventilation and natural lighting in Brazilian architecture. Project info: Name: White Bricks House (Casa dos Tijolos Brancos) Location: Brasília-DF, Brazil Authors: Daniel Mangabeira, Henrique Coutinho, Matheus Seco Project Coordination: Victor Machado Project Architect: Giovanni Cristofaro Built Surface: 600sqm Project: 2016 Construction: 2021-2023 Structural Project: André Torres Lighting Design: Dessine Landscape Design: Fábio Camargo Contractor: Memória Engenharia Photos: Joana França 0:00 - Inspiration from Brasília’s Features 0:56 - The Second Facade 1:51 - Living Room 2:55 - The Central Patio 3:19 - Choreography of Openings and Voids 3:34 - Cross-Ventilation 4:27 - Evening Light Effects on Bricks 5:15 - Drawings