Casa João & Maria: A Timeless Home Integrating Memory, Nature, and Modern Design in Curitiba

Nestled in Curitiba, Brazil, Casa João & Maria by Nommo Arquitetos is a residence where memory, architecture, and nature converge. Designed for a couple on the site where the owner spent her childhood, the project embraces a non-linear concept of time, interweaving past memories and present life into spatial experiences.

The house responds to a challenging topography and aims to preserve the original vegetation, distributing its program across multiple levels. The ground floor hosts the garage, entrance, and private areas, while the lower level contains a studio with independent access, along with social and service zones. At the rear, a staircase connects to a garden featuring the original courtyard trees and technical spaces.

A central circulation core amid the main courtyard creates multiple pathways, allowing diverse flows between the spaces. The architecture emphasizes visual and spatial connections through strategically placed patios and framed openings, which direct views and capture light while maintaining privacy.

Volumetrically, the design begins with a semi-buried white block, intersected by exposed beams and slabs that define different levels. Neutral materials provide a calm backdrop, highlighted by vibrant colors in the metalwork, adding dynamic focal points throughout the house. From the street, the home reads as a single-story volume, yet the rear reveals its two-story depth, opening inward to private courtyards and terraces.

Casa João & Maria is a poetic interpretation of time, memory, and spatial fluidity: blurring the line between inside and outside, solid and void, past and present.

Architects: Nommo Arquitetos Lead Architect: Anderson Luís de Almeida Photographer: Mahani Siqueira Year: 2023 Area: 228 m²