Articles by Susanna Moreira

Set on an area of approximately 2,400 m², in a gated community, this residence emerges from a direct relationship with the landscape. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac, the front of the lot opens up to a preservation area with a spring, allowing the house to be practically surrounded by the existing vegetation.

While designing an urban park near the sea in Praia Norte, Viana do Castelo, we were invited to create a small chapel. The site already featured a humble, glass-fronted oratory built by local residents, which was originally slated for demolition. However, given the community’s strong connection to the structure—and their devotion to Saint Peter, the patron saint of fishermen—we felt it was essential to preserve its symbolic value.

Located in the Fazenda da Grama Condominium, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, the GLG Residence emerges from a clear interpretation of volumes and layout to organize the uses of the house. The architecture and interior design project was conceived in an integrated manner, seeking balance between privacy, coexistence, and connection with the surroundings.

Developed for the University of São Paulo, the Biomedical Sciences Research Center of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School arises from the revision of an existing preliminary project that did not meet the demands of scientific research. Based on a new feasibility study, carried out in direct dialogue with the users, the Biselli Katchborian office structured a program aimed at laboratories, study areas, support spaces, and a bioterium with specific operational and control requirements.

A large canopy defines the house’s principal feature: it extends from the living area to the garage, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside in a single fluid motion. It is not merely a shelter; it is an invitation. Beneath it, the spaces merge and cease to compete with one another, simply coexisting.

Located in Portugal, this residence brings together formal clarity, functional efficiency, and landscape integration. The project is structured around a refined volumetric composition, with distinct bodies articulated in a coherent and harmonious manner. Its pure geometries, emphasised by large, glazed surfaces that establish a strong connection between interior and exterior, ensure generous natural light throughout all spaces.

There are projects that begin long before the design. In Itaipava, in the Fluminense mountains, an old stable from the São João de Icaraí Farm stood as the last vestige of a rural past: an isolated, silent volume, surrounded by vegetation. When we were invited to intervene in the property, the central question was not just to renovate a building that is almost 80 years old, but to understand how to transform this agricultural space into a contemporary country house, without erasing the geography and identity of the place.

Located in the rural area of Cunha, at the top of the Serra do Mar, this residence occupies a privileged position on top of a hill, with wide and unobstructed views in all directions. The design stems from the desire to enhance the continuous horizon of the landscape, creating a constant relationship between the built space and the horizon.