BÚZIOS, RIO DE JANEIRO — Nestled within the sun-drenched, picturesque landscape of Búzios, a new architectural milestone has taken root. The MFA House, a stunning 348-square-meter coastal sanctuary designed from the ground up by Simone Jazbik Arquitetura, redefines the intersection of contemporary design and relaxed coastal living. Built on a generous 943-square-meter plot inside an exclusive gated community, the residence represents far more than just a luxurious vacation home; it is the culmination of a deeply rooted, decades-long collaboration between an architect and her clients.
Curated by Susanna Moreira and captured through the lens of renowned architectural photographer André Nazareth, the residence showcases a masterful blend of organic materials, spatial fluidity, and functional elegance tailored to the rhythm of modern Brazilian life.
Main Facts & Architectural Overview
The MFA House spans a built area of 348 square meters, thoughtfully positioned on a 943-square-meter parcel of land that maximizes privacy while welcoming the natural coastal breeze. Commissioned for a couple in their late fifties—both practicing lawyers—alongside their two daughters, the residence was built to serve multiple functions: a peaceful weekend retreat, a seasonal rental investment, and, increasingly, a primary home base.
The architectural layout prioritizes seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces. Expansive wooden decks, open courtyards, and generous patios act as living extensions of the interior rooms. Exposed structural beams, warm timber finishes, and neutral textures create a continuous dialogue with the surrounding tropical greenery, ensuring the home feels deeply anchored to its environment rather than imposed upon it.
Chronology: A Relationship Forged Over Four Homes
To truly understand the DNA of the MFA House, one must look at the timeline of trust and collaboration that preceded its creation. The relationship between the clients and Simone Jazbik Arquitetura is not a transactional one-off; rather, it represents a rare, enduring partnership in residential architecture.
The Foundation of Trust
Long before the acquisition of the Búzios plot, the family had already established a working history with Jazbik’s firm. Over the years, Simone Jazbik Arquitetura has designed four distinct residences for this family. This continuity allowed the design team to bypass the typical ice-breaking phase of early client briefings. The architects already understood the family’s intrinsic habits, aesthetic preferences, entertaining styles, and individual needs for privacy versus communal gathering.
From Concept to Construction
Phase 1: Site Acquisition and Vision (Pre-Design): The clients secured the 943-square-meter plot within a secure, gated community in Búzios, seeking a coastal escape that offered both seclusion and accessibility.
Phase 2: Collaborative Briefing: Drawing upon past projects, Jazbik and the clients outlined a vision that moved away from rigid, compartmentalized floor plans. They envisioned an architecture of permeability—spaces that could breathe, capture natural light, and effortlessly host gatherings of varying sizes.
Phase 3: Ground-Up Execution: Unlike renovation projects where structural parameters dictate design choices, the MFA House was a blank slate. Every wall orientation, sightline, and structural beam was engineered specifically for this topography and orientation.
Phase 4: Evolution of Use: Initially conceptualized as a weekend getaway and a lucrative seasonal rental property, the reality of the home’s comfort transformed its purpose. Today, the owners split their time fluidly between Rio de Janeiro and Búzios, turning the MFA House into a core anchor of their daily routine.
Supporting Data & Spatial Analysis
Analyzing the spatial choreography of the MFA House reveals a sophisticated understanding of scale, climate adaptation, and material honesty.
Materiality and Climate Response
Búzios is globally celebrated for its unique microclimate—blending intense tropical sun with refreshing Atlantic sea breezes. Simone Jazbik Arquitetura leveraged this characteristic by employing a palette dominated by natural wood, expansive glass panels, and breathable masonry.
Wood and Beams: Rich timber framing runs through both the exterior pergolas and interior ceilings, casting dynamic patterns of light and shadow throughout the day.
Seamless Thresholds: The living and dining rooms dissolve into the exterior through floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, effectively doubling the usable entertaining space during favorable weather.
Courtyards and Green Pockets: Strategic interior courtyards pull vegetation directly into the core of the floor plan, enhancing natural cross-ventilation and cooling the interior naturally without heavy reliance on air conditioning.
Spatial Distribution (348 m² Breakdown)
Communal Core: The open-plan living and dining areas flow directly into a fully integrated kitchen, creating a lively social hub that encourages family interaction.
Private Quarters: The master suite and the daughters’ bedrooms are positioned to ensure acoustic and visual privacy, offering tranquil retreats characterized by minimalist interiors, warm lighting, and organic textures.
Outdoor Living: The exterior deck serves as the heartbeat of the home, featuring lounging areas, dining spaces, and a direct visual connection to the meticulously landscaped native gardens.
Official Perspectives & Design Philosophy
In commentary provided by the architectural practice, the ethos behind the MFA House centers heavily on human-centric design and the emotional resonance of space.
"Designing a home from scratch is always an intimate endeavor, but designing a fourth home for the exact same family elevates the process into a profound dialogue," notes the design team at Simone Jazbik Arquitetura. "Because we have walked alongside these clients through different chapters of their lives—watching their daughters grow and their lifestyles evolve—we didn’t have to guess what home feels like to them. We already knew."
The firm emphasizes that the coastal setting of Búzios demanded a delicate balance between luxury and casual informality. A beach house, in their view, should never feel precious or intimidating. Instead, it must act as a sanctuary that encourages barefoot comfort, mental decompression, and a deep reconnection with nature. By prioritizing durability, tactile warmth, and spatial fluidity, the architects ensured that the house would age gracefully alongside its inhabitants.
Furthermore, curator Susanna Moreira highlights how the project contributes to the broader dialogue of contemporary Brazilian residential architecture. By marrying regional modernist traditions—such as large overhangs, indoor-outdoor integration, and native landscaping—with clean, contemporary detailing, the MFA House stands as a testament to mature architectural execution.
Broader Implications for Coastal Architecture
The success and evolution of the MFA House carry significant implications for modern residential trends, particularly within high-end coastal markets like Búzios.
1. The Rise of the Flexible Second Home
The transition of the MFA House from a part-time weekend rental into a primary dual-residence reflects a broader post-pandemic shift in lifestyle patterns. As remote work and flexible legal schedules become more prevalent, homeowners are demanding that their coastal retreats match the structural integrity, ergonomic comfort, and functional sophistication of their urban primary residences. Architects can no longer treat vacation homes as secondary or temporary spaces; they must be engineered for year-round, high-performance living.
2. The Power of Long-Term Client-Architect Partnerships
The project underscores the immense value of enduring professional relationships. When architects deeply understand a family’s generational evolution, the resulting design bypasses superficial trends. Instead, it yields deeply customized spatial solutions that genuinely improve the quality of daily life. This project serves as a compelling case study for clients and firms alike, proving that architectural longevity is often born from sustained collaboration.
3. Sustainable Integration Over Imposition
In sensitive coastal ecosystems, large-scale construction can easily disrupt local topographies. By respecting the 943-square-meter plot boundaries, integrating native green pockets, and utilizing sustainable, renewable materials like timber, Simone Jazbik Arquitetura demonstrates that high-end residential design can coexist harmoniously with the natural environment. The house breathes with the climate, utilizing passive cooling strategies that point the way forward for environmentally conscious tropical architecture.
Conclusion
The MFA House is much more than a collection of well-proportioned rooms and high-end finishes. It is a physical manifestation of trust, time, and architectural sensitivity. Through thoughtful spatial planning, an honest material palette, and an acute awareness of how a family’s lifestyle changes over decades, Simone Jazbik Arquitetura has crafted a timeless coastal haven. As the owners continue to divide their time between Rio de Janeiro and Búzios, the MFA House stands ready—anchored in wood, light, and greenery—to shelter the next chapter of their lives.
