Origami House folds into a narrow 3.6m plot in São Paulo

As cities grow more populated and housing plot availability continues to diminish, architects are doing their part to make the most of occupied space. One such firm is Brazilian duo AR Architects, which has inserted a new volume above an existing concrete ground-level property in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Alto da Boa Vista.
Only 3.6m wide, the narrow Origami House sits in the middle of a block of residential homes. The clients, a photographer and PR couple, tapped the firm to intelligently maximise their dwelling space with an extension that respected the environment.
The end result is the insertion of a new penthouse volume above the ground-floor kitchen, which houses a bedroom and study in the loft. When formulating the extension, AR Architects say they looked east, to Switzerland, for design inspiration.
‘At the time the project [was in motion], my partner Pablo had just returned from a trip in Switzerland, where he made a pilgrimage through the work of Peter Zumthor,’ reveals firm co-founder Marina Acayaba. ‘I think principally the building Shelters For Roman Archaeological Site was the most inspiring.’
Zumthor’s influence can certainly be seen, particularly in the slatted peroba wood exterior façade that shrouds the home’s new interior. When the timber screens unfold on the street-facing side, they reveal a set of lofty windows across the raised levels.
Beyond the kitchen, another set of peroba-clad panels folds outwards onto a dense courtyard garden. A pathway flanked by colourful Brazilian plant life leads to a new bathroom unit in the home’s former guest room, with surfaces similarly finished in the rich Brazilian timber.
Up top, an exit in the study opens onto a rooftop terrace, creating new ways to experience both the garden and neighbourhood from above.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the AR Architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s Chelsea
Pachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Lucy Dacus on her Renaissance-inspired new album cover and intimate museum tour
Lucy Dacus' fourth album, 'Forever Is A Feeling', is an intimate exploration of love with visuals inspired by the romanticism of classical art
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
At Milan Design Week, 'Material Alchemists' marks the Wallpaper* Class of '25
Our own exhibition brings together 20 emerging designers from around the world giving matter form with magic
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
The new MASP expansion in São Paulo goes tall
Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) expands with a project named after Pietro Maria Bardi (the institution's first director), designed by Metro Architects
By Daniel Scheffler Published
-
An Upstate Sao Paulo house embraces calm and the surrounding rolling hills
BGM House, an Upstate Sao Paulo house by Jacobsen Arquitetura, is a low, balanced affair making the most of its rural setting
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Step inside the secret sanctuary of Rua Polonia House in São Paulo
Rua Polonia House by Gabriel Kogan and Guilherme Pianca together with Clara Werneck is an urban sanctuary in the bustling Brazilian metropolis
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
São Paulo's Pacaembu stadium gets a makeover: we go behind the scenes with architect Sol Camacho
Pacaembu stadium, a São Paulo sporting icon, is being refurbished; the first phase is now complete, its architect Sol Camacho takes us on a tour
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
Tour 18 lesser-known modernist houses in South America
We swing by 18 modernist houses in South America; architectural writer and curator Adam Štěch leads the way in discovering these lesser-known gems, discussing the early 20th-century movement's ideas and principles
By Adam Štěch Published
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie Stathaki
The top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Restoring São Paulo: Planta’s mesmerising Brazilian brand of midcentury ‘urban recycling’
Brazilian developer Planta Inc set out to restore São Paulo’s historic centre and return it to the heyday of tropical modernism
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
All aboard Casa Quinta, floating in Brazil’s tropical rainforest
Casa Quinta by Brazilian studio Arquipélago appears to float at canopy level in the heart of the rainforest that flanks the picturesque town of Paraty on the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
By Rainbow Nelson Published