BRM House by Jacobsen Arquitetura

_presented by Laer Engenharia

_project: BRM House
_architecture: Jacobsen Arquitetura
_engineering: Laer Engenharia
_location: Paraty, Rio de Janeiro

In residential architecture, one of the most compelling challenges is reconciling large-scale programs with a sense of intimacy and privacy - especially within exposed or irregular sites. Architects often respond by fragmenting massing, integrating natural light, and modulating exposure to create softer, more human experiences.

BRM House embraces this approach. Located by a busy canal, the residence faced constant visual exposure from passing boats. Rather than retreat behind defensive walls, the design turns inward, shielding a private courtyard and garden while maintaining openness on its own terms.

An L-shaped layout defines the house, breaking down its program into smaller, pavilion-like volumes atop a “tray-like” first floor. Each bedroom is designed almost as an independent bungalow, connected by walkways where glass walls alternate with wooden planes. This interplay creates moments of transparency and seclusion, enriching movement through the house while emphasizing its fragmented composition.

This strategy achieves two goals: it humanizes the residence - making it feel closer to half its size - and inserts natural pockets between built forms, reinforcing a sense of retreat. Green roofs merge with the landscape, while upper floors are offset to cast shade and visually dissolve portions of the structure.

Materiality amplifies this lightness. A monochromatic palette - bright stone on the ground floor and light-toned, chemically modified reforested wood above - evokes a Nordic-inspired calmness. Privacy screens clad in stone protect areas from outside view without sacrificing transparency, while bold décor introduces contrast without architectural heaviness.

BRM House is not a singular monumental gesture but a composition of fragments, voids, and connections. Through careful manipulation of scale and the layering of transparency and enclosure, it demonstrates how even expansive homes can feel intimate, private, and deeply connected to their surroundings.

_article written by Daniela Moreira da Silva
_film by Architecture Hunter
_cover and image scroll by Fernando Guerra and Fran Parente

_drawings by Jacobsen Arquitetura

1. Ground Floor Plan
2. Second Floor Plan