Articles by Pilar Caballero

Cleave House reinterprets the conventional courtyard typology on a squattish 1800 sqyd site. It relies, instead on multiple optimized ‘sliced voids’ so as that bring in light and ventilation to all spaces of the home. A metal and wood carapace along the facade squares off these subtracted voids and returns the composition back to its original cube-like volume.

Pinheiros neighborhood, situated in the western zone of São Paulo city, stands as one of the most sought-after locations in the capital, owing to its cosmopolitan vibe and prime positioning near the city’s main financial hubs, alongside a plethora of recreational, cultural, commercial, and transportation amenities. Over recent years, this district has undergone a rapid metamorphosis, with traditional houses and low-rise structures making way for towering, multi-use buildings, ushering in a new era of residential and commercial dynamics within this historical urban area.

The objective of the project is to create a residential community for six residents, staff, and common areas that harness the potential of the site in terms of landscape, cardinal directions, views, infrastructure, and climate. A key focus throughout the process has been to design welcoming homes that facilitate well-being and positive experiences.

Maison Rouge is a vacation home located in a small hamlet on the west coast of India, abutting the Arabian Sea. Intended as an oasis, the house is built on the family’s ancestral land in the heart of the Konkan belt to allow them to withdraw to their roots in the countryside. The old house that stood on the site was built by the client’s grandfather, who hosted several summer vacations for the client during his schooling years. Abandoned in the early 1990s, it was then surrendered to surrounding trees, which quickly took over the derelict structure unapologetically over the next 30 years.

Tesche House is located in a residential condominium with large lands in the south of Brazil. The owner had bought the land with a small house built on it, which he only used at weekends. His intention was to turn it into a permanent house, which is why he initially requested a renovation project. After evaluating the program, the construction conditions of the house, and the budget, it was decided to demolish it and build a new one, on a different scale and adapted to his real needs.

Since its first appearance in late 18th century, townhouse has gradually become the dominant architectural typology which fits snugly into the existing irregular and vibrant networks of streets, roads, and alleys in Vietnamese metropolises such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. On the other hand, the inconsistent urban expansion of inner-city neighborhoods sometimes results in left-over odd-shaped pieces of land, which are hardly usable.

Sometimes, the beauty of a project is not purely about the building but equally about its surroundings. This once-vacant lot on the hill of Cobbitty, with sweeping views of agricultural crops and distant mountain tops, becomes the underlying basis of the project core. It asked for an architecture that wouldn’t impede but rather firm in its character to allow for framed views to enhance the beauty of what already existed. The Base draws you deep into the experience of the place with a refreshing inventiveness of robust materials, simplistic framing, and lightness of whole-hearted Australian pavilion architecture.