Cube House that located in São Paulo, Brazil, was designed by AR arquitetos. The project, designed for a young couple required the kitchen to be the heart of the house, so that socialising and cooking could be integrated whilst hosting.
The clients wanted both the capacities to work from home as well as an area to grow vegetation. These criteria produced several contradicting requirements of the project including the need to provide a large open plan area within the constraints of a small site, the male client requiring privacy, whilst the female wanted an open airy garden. To tackle these problems a basement area was created which now houses a library and the plot outdoors is open to the elements but closed to the surrounding streets, creating a microclimate.
The final design results in an uninterrupted area between front and back yards, whilst internal and external spaces are merged, without loss of privacy. This means maximum use of the plot, providing abundant natural lighting and ventilation.