Vila Real Itu Residence by Alexandre Chaguri Arquitetura: A Transparent Retreat Immersed in Native Forest

Situated in Fazenda Vila Real de Itu, São Paulo, the Vila Real Itu Residence, designed by Alexandre Chaguri Arquitetura, is a 670 m² summer home conceived as an immersive sanctuary in nature. Completed in 2023, the project is the fourth collaboration between the architect and the same client—this time centered around the desire for a large, transparent house that dissolves into the surrounding forest.

The existing area of native vegetation became the conceptual starting point and the protagonist of the architectural narrative. From the moment one enters, dense greenery frames the approach and dictates the house’s orientation, structure, and spatial experience.

A House Positioned to Embrace the Forest

The sloped topography of the site, recessed from the street, allowed part of the residence to be strategically lowered. This creates a discreet profile from the exterior while ensuring seamless accessibility inside.A central axis organizes the project’s horizontal volumetry, emphasizing visual permeability and continuity with the landscape. As a result, the home unfolds with long, uninterrupted lines that quietly extend toward the forest.

Traditional masonry combines with select metal elements, enabling wide spans and generous glazing that amplify transparency. Every social and intimate space opens toward the preserved vegetation, erasing boundaries between inside and out and reinforcing the home’s identity as a nature-oriented retreat.

Program Distribution: A Clear and Harmonious Layout

The internal organization is divided into well-defined wings that support both family life and leisure:

Entrance Wing – Service Core

The arrival zone houses the kitchen, support areas, and service rooms, forming a functional threshold before transitioning into the open social spaces.

Central Social Wing

Here, the living and dining rooms unfold in continuity with the outdoor areas. Large frameless glass panels create a sense of fluidity and openness, allowing the forest to serve as an ever-present backdrop to daily life.

Private Wing – Suites + Home Theater

To the right, a linear volume accommodates five suites, all facing the landscape.A home theater and a tranquil winter garden—designed to bring in natural light and ventilation—complete this intimate zone.

Garage with Forest Views

The four-vehicle garage is strategically oriented to frame the forest, offering an immediate moment of contemplation upon arrival.

Landscape as Architecture: A Seamless Integration

The landscape project by Roberto Riscala reinforces the home’s deep connection with its environment. Instead of imposing a new garden, the design preserves and highlights existing vegetation, weaving the house into its natural context.Paths, textures, and native plantings create an organic relationship between architecture and terrain, enhancing the residence’s atmosphere of quiet immersion.

A Contemporary Summer Retreat for Family and Nature

Built by Construtora Jatobba, the Vila Real Itu Residence stands as a clear expression of harmony between architecture and landscape.The extensive glazing, the restrained structure, and the thoughtful preservation of the forest produce a home that feels simultaneously open and sheltered—an ideal setting for holidays, gatherings, and slow living.

It is a residence defined by transparency, horizontality, and intimacy with nature, offering a contemporary reinterpretation of the Brazilian summer house.

All the Photographs are works of Favaro Jr. Fotografia