A house to enjoy summer near São Paulo, designed by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos

Summer in São Paulo—from December to March—is an intense combination of tropical heat and frequent afternoon rainfall. Close to this megalopolis, one of the largest cities in the world, stretches a 400-kilometre coastline with remarkable beaches and countless hidden coves. In this area, ideal for holiday living, stands Casa VLP, designed by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos on a trapezoidal plot whose geometry has decisively shaped its architecture.

The project responds to a broad programme that demanded spatial generosity, a direct relationship with the outdoors and a clear differentiation of uses, without renouncing cross ventilation or the controlled entry of natural light. The house is organised through a classical layout reinterpreted with contemporary precision: a social block and a private block, separated by a central circulation axis that begins at the entrance. This gesture orders the plan and establishes a clear spatial distribution. At the entrance, a wooden pergola marks the route and acts as a threshold, a transitional element between exterior and interior.

To the right of the access lies the social volume, with a quadrangular plan, while the private block develops longitudinally, occupying a larger portion of the house. This duality is also expressed in the pitched roof, a deliberate reference to traditional domestic typologies, fragmented by a central opening that enhances natural light and ventilation and visually disrupts the archetypal image of the closed, compact single-family house.

Both volumes open directly onto the outdoor space, where the swimming pool and garden form the true centre of domestic life. The private area includes the bedrooms and service spaces and is characterised by a sequence of recessed, stepped volumes that ensure privacy for each room while adding dynamism to an essentially rectangular plan. Both the private rooms and the social spaces open towards the central garden, reinforcing continuity between interior and exterior.

The main suite occupies a privileged position within the ensemble. It features a private terrace at the rear of the plot and a strategically placed window on the side façade, establishing a direct visual relationship with the outdoor area, conceived here as a generous space for contemplation.

The structure of the house is resolved in concrete, while the finishes rely on a balanced combination of stone and wood. Stone plays a leading role, used both in its most natural state and in treated forms, extending across floors, walls and work surfaces. Wood, present in joinery, built-in furniture, wall finishes and loose pieces, introduces warmth and continuity, complemented by a careful selection of textiles and lighting that enhances comfort without unnecessary prominence.

The outdoor landscape

The project is completed by a landscape design that acts as an active element in the perception of the volume and in the environmental quality of the house. The main challenge of the process—integrating an extensive programme without sacrificing spaciousness, outdoor areas or environmental performance—is resolved through an architecture that prioritises clarity, a close relationship with the immediate surroundings and coherence between form, use and materiality. Casa VLP is thus constructed through the accumulation of precise decisions rather than emphatic gestures, finding its greatest strength in this sense of restraint.

Project: Casa VLP.
Location: São Paulo (Brasil).
Completion: 2023.
Architecture and Interior Design:: Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos.
Landscape design: André Paoliello.
Photography: Fran Parente.
Construction: Laer.
Production: Tiago Cappi.
Source: Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos.

Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos

Founded in São Paulo in 2010 by Domingos Pascali and Sarkis Semerdjian, Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos emerged from an affinity that predates professional practice: a shared way of understanding the craft, the value of making, and the responsibility involved in designing spaces meant to be lived in. From the outset, the studio has developed an architecture attentive to context, process and material, where each decision responds to a sensitivity shaped over time.

Their work spans residential architecture, interior design and furniture design, following an approach that avoids superfluous gestures and relies on the coherence of the whole. The relationship with materials—particularly wood, concrete and natural light—is structural rather than decorative: it defines the character of the spaces and conditions their use. References to Brazilian modernism coexist with a contemporary reading of domestic life, integrating tradition and the present in a natural, unforced way.

Pascali Semerdjian’s architecture is recognised for its continuous spatial narrative, its conscious economy of means and a materiality that ages with dignity. Their projects are defined by use, scale and the relationship they establish with those who inhabit them.

Domingos Pascali

Educated at Universidade Brás Cubas, Domingos Pascali brings more than three decades of experience in architecture, design and construction. His career is deeply rooted in the world of craftsmanship—an environment where attention to detail, respect for material and the value of manual work shaped his understanding of architecture from an early age.

Before founding the studio, he worked at several architectural practices in São Paulo, contributing to residential, commercial and interior design projects. This experience consolidated a practice grounded in formal clarity and a direct engagement with materials. In his work, architecture emerges from close observation of place and people, giving form to spaces that respond to real needs and settle naturally within their surroundings.

Sarkis Semerdjian

A graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at Mackenzie, Sarkis Semerdjian brings to the studio a contemporary perspective, attentive both to project rigor and to the narrative dimension of space. Coming from a family background also connected to craftsmanship, he developed early on a particular sensitivity to form, texture and proportion.

Before partnering with Pascali, he collaborated with several architecture studios in Brazil, experiences that broadened his understanding of architectural processes and strengthened his project criteria. His work explores the balance between functionality and expressiveness, addressing the complexity of contemporary living through solutions that are sober, carefully considered and deeply human.

Project by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos