The intersection of the two volumes. Studio MK27 erases the line between inside and out in this low-slung house in the Brazilian city, furnished with a vibrant mix of new and mid-century modern pieces.
Set into the hilly landscape of the São Paulo neighbourhood of Bragança Paulista, the MM House was designed to feel warm and inviting, but also offer pockets of relief from the sweltering temperatures.
The 715-square-metre layout is simple: two airy rectangular volumes that intersect perpendicularly and are demarcated by their different flooring.
With a floor clad in Freijó, a wood native to Brazil, one volume contains the outdoor pool, two decks, a covered veranda and a barbecue area.
The second volume, finished with granite flooring, accommodates the living and dining rooms, bedrooms, a fitness area and service areas.
Photos by Fernando Guerra
In the living area, a sleek basalt stone fireplace anchors the room and is framed by a custom wood bookcase that spans one wall, while a collection of mid-century modern and contemporary furnishings complete the space.
On the exterior, the deck is outfitted with loungers and poufs as tables from Paola Lenti.
With climate as an obvious key factor for the habitability of the house, MK27 installed retractable wooden doors that completely open to provide ventilation. Moreover, a green roof acts as a natural insulator.
Casa M&M boasts a luscious grass green roof that acts as insulation and also a continuation of the landscape.
Due to the extreme sunny weather, the walls are equipped with floor-to-ceiling wooden brises soleil that filter the natural light coming in while providing some privacy. With an open plan design that lets air flow freely, this beautiful modern home lets the outdoors in.
Made from concrete, wood and glass, the house’s interiors are big, accommodating several people, while the outdoor wooden deck features a lounging area for relaxation and sun bathing just steps away from the pool. A modern dwelling ideal for enjoying family life and good weather, Casa MM makes the most of its surrounding nature.
Bragança Paulista is a small municipality in São Paulo. Today, Bragança has become a commuter town due to its close proximity to São Paulo and Campinas. As a result, real estate is developing at a fast pace making room for a new batch of creative residences.
The MM House is an elongated farmhouse-esque structure constructed of wood and concrete, with a living roof full of green plants.
The home was designed with a linear layout and is consumed by a staggering 9 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 3 living rooms, 2 kitchens, and a wood terrace that intersects the home and trails an infinity pool. Concrete covers the short sides of the house, while the long sides are surfaced with a screen of retractable slender wooden slats. The slats wrap the entire envelope along the exterior glass wall to soften direct sunlight, with the ability to open entirely to the outside.
The interior of the house are reminiscent of Kogan’s signature style – wood ceilings, white walls, cool lounging areas filled with unique and eclectic furniture pieces.
In one living room, an entire wall of books with a built in concrete fireplace becomes the backdrop to a warm and relaxing seating area. The central living room and main kitchen is open to the terrace and the pool, a place where eating, sitting, and playing all come together – the ideal layout for entertaining a large amount of people
project: june . 2009
completion: october . 2012
site area: 4500 sqm
built area: 715 sqm
architecture: studio mk27
architect: marcio kogan
co-architect: maria cristina motta
interior design: diana radomysler
About Márcio Kogan
The architect Marcio Kogan was born in São Paulo and graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the prestigious Mackenzie University, Sao Paulo in 1977.
For a while Marcio Kogan worked under the Italian film director Fellini, an experience that plays out in his preference for horizontal “wide screen” designs.
But he eschewed a career in film-making and chose architecture instead, setting up the now internationally renowned office known as StudioMK27 in 2001, in São Paulo.
The office employs around 20 young architects who work as a collaborative, not in a hierarchy but as a think-tank.
Their designs draw inspiration from the fathers of Brazilian modernism—Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Lina Bo Bardi, Vilanova Artigas, Oscar Niemeyer & Lucio Costa—and are thus an eternal citation of Brazilian modernism, with pure forms and clean lines.
A majority of projects have been on a relatively small scale for private clients but in recent years horizons have expanded to include a chic restaurant, a luxury hotel, an urban square by the sea, a furniture store, a tea shop, a children’s nursery, furniture, a photography studio, an office building, an apartment building and a museum.
São Paulo native Márcio Kogan has become an internationally recognized Brazilian architect known for his minimal designs that are often contrasted by intricate materiality.
His houses and institutional projects respect the modern principles of Brazilian architecture, with a special care on the design of interior spaces and their details, resulting in a mix of tradition and contemporary design.
Today, Kogan is involved with the teaching corps of the City School in São Paulo, Brazil.
His works have earned several international awards, including the recent Wallpaper Design Awards, Record House, D&AD “Yellow Pencil” LEAF Awards, Dedalo Minosse, Barbara Cappochin International Biennial of Padova and was twice a finalist for the World Architecture Festival (WAF). Marcio has also been appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the AIA in 2011.
Principal projects: Du Plessis House (ASBEA Award and Record House 2004), Gama-Issa House (ASBEA Award and short list World Architecture Award 2002), BR House (IAB Award 2004 and Record House 2005), Mirindibas House, Hotel Fasano (short list Wallpaper Design Award 2005), Museum of Microbiology (IAB Award 2002) and recently 2 houses in Spain, one in Alabama, a Vila in Milan, and the disarranged Micasa Vol._B Store.
.
About Studio MK27
Studio MK27 was founded at the beginning of the 1980Ês by Marcio Kogan, an architect graduated from Mackenzie University in 1976, and today is formed by 12 more architects, as well as collaborators located in various parts of the world.
The architects of the studio develop the projects from start to finish, and co-sign their authorship. Recently, the office has won several international awards, such as: Record House, in 2004 and 2005, the D&AD “Yellow Pencil” in 2008 and 2009, the Dedalo Minosse in 2008 and the Barbara Cappochin of the Padova International Biennial in 2007, besides important Brazilian ones, such as 12 awards from the IAB and the most recent: Wallpaper Design Awards in 2010.
The architectural projects of studiomk27 highly values formal simplicity, always taking great care in the details and finishing. Marcio Kogan and the team, great admirers of the Brazilian modernist generation, strive to undertake the difficult mission of giving continuity to this line of production.
A team carefully gathered by Marcio Kogan work closely to design the exhaustingly elaborated details and the execution drawings. From the simplest project to an extremely high-end mansion, everything is thought out on the drawing board.
The studio is specialized in haute couture residences and its architecture is seen through a wide-screen lens always seeking to create surprising spaces and emotions.
