Galeria Mario Sequeira

The Galeria Mario Sequeira project is a summer residence located in Iporanga, approximately 120 kilometers east of Sao Paulo on the Atlantic coast, set within well-preserved protected primary Atlantic rainforest. The lush forest demanded that the house occupy as small a footprint as possible, yet the client also wanted a spacious, comfortable home with five suites for the couple, their three sons, and guests, requiring at least 400 square meters. The solution divides the building into three levels: a suspended wooden volume containing the five suites at canopy height, a concrete slab raised from the ground supporting all social activities including living, dining, kitchen, and swimming pool, and a smaller enclosed ground-floor service area with staff quarters, laundry, and storage. The wooden frame volume is the private zone, enclosed on the street side by opaque cement-coated wood panels with nylon-curtained glass, while aluminum sliding doors open rooms to balconies on the forest side. This volume casts shade on the social area below. The middle level is almost entirely open, protected in all directions by transparent insulated glass sliding panels, allowing the forest to be enjoyed at all times. This approach minimizes the distinction between interior and exterior, treating them as one. The structural concept draws from the small bridges typical of this coastal region: concrete columns rise from the damp soil to support steel beams, which in turn support the wooden frame. The building is designed as an assembly of components rather than a monolithic process, considering less waste, greater flexibility, and rational use of industrialized materials on site.