Beach House with Fast Construction Materials and Techniques

The Toque-Toque House was designed to be a simple, flexible, and quickly constructible space, fully integrated with the landscape to serve as a beach residence. The lot is situated on a steep hillside covered with dense Atlantic forest vegetation, which led to the house extending towards the sea, positioning it at the level of the treetops.

To address the challenging topography, the decision was made to create a concrete foundation connecting the lot entrance to the pool area. Within this foundation, a small terrace was also constructed at a lower level beneath the house. The house was built atop this foundation using laminated wood structure. Seven structural frames were utilized, resulting in a total of 6 modules to house three suites, a laundry room, a powder room, and a living room with an integrated kitchen. The house's roof is covered with thermoacoustic tiles, with generous eaves encompassing the entire structure.

The property boasts a panoramic view that includes the Atlantic Ocean, ToqueToque Island, and Toque-Toque Grande Beach. As a result, the social areas of the house, such as the kitchen and living room, are oriented towards the pool with a view of the sea, while the bedrooms face the opposite direction, providing a view of the beach. This layout preserves the privacy of the bedrooms and fully capitalizes on the expansive panoramic view.

The house's circulation occurs entirely outside, sheltered by 1.20-meter eaves. All bedrooms and the laundry room open up to the exterior, creating distinct environments with ample natural light and ventilation, ensuring greater flexibility of use while maintaining a more compact and simplified construction.

Project Information:

Project Name: Toque Toque House
Location: São Sebastião, SP, Brazil
Project Year: 2019
Area: 240 m²
Designed by: Nitsche Arquitetos
Photography: Pedro Mascaro e André Scarpa

0:00 - A beach house
0:43 - Terrain challenge
1:06 - Entry through the pool area
1:47 - Panoramic views
2:57 - At night
4:09 - Drawings