Modern home was built to respect its hilly surroundings

This house near São Paulo, Brazil, is quite literally part of its surroundings. Designed for a young couple who wanted space outside the city, Casa João de Barro is nestled into a hillside and was built without moving soil.

Instead, the modern house naturally blends with the subtly sloping landscape with part of its glassy facade edging into the earth. The flat roof provides the foundation for a thriving garden.

Photo: Pedro Kok via Designboom

Studio Terra e Tuma designed the house to wrap around the plot of land in a glass-encased U shape. In the center, there’s a courtyard with a pool that can be reached through patio doors or by walking down a slanted walkway.

Photo: Pedro Kok via Designboom

Photo: Pedro Kok via Designboom

The house is full of clean lines that serve as a perfect foil to the hilly surroundings. With the courtyard as its centerpiece, the home feels part modern ranch, part sunken garden, which as you can imagine, is an enviable combination.

Via: Designboom