Minimod Cutuçaba, São Paulo

MAPA Architects 

Minimod Cutuçaba is a house built on the logic of plug & play prefabrication. It is formed by cubic modules – measuring 3 x 3 x 3 meters – prepared principally with wood, combinable in different ways to topographically, visually, and environmentally make the most of the plots where they are used.

The prototype erected atop a hill in a fazenda located some 150 kilometers from São Paulo is a good illustration of the spatial flexibility that makes the modular character of the house possible. With the objective of  providing views from anywhere in the house, the complex combines five cubes that open up north, south, east, and west, with a large window wrapping it all up that captures a sweeping view of the surrounding landscape. Of the five modules, the central one contains a small dining room while those connected to it along the perimeter harbor the living room, the kitchen and bathrooms, and the bedroom. All the modules were prepared in accordance with detailed protocols in specialized  factories in São Paulo, and assembled on the building site in a short period of time. The additive and modular scheme admits other linear configurations, and enables the house to expand in the future, as needed by the users. MAPA Architects Leonardo Finotti