Wave House

Furkan Sen25 February 20241 Mins read274

Wave House is a four-level cliffside residence designed by Mareines Arquitetura on the Tijucas Islands in Rio de Janeiro, perched on a plot 65 meters above sea level atop a steep granite monolith. The site orients the home toward nothing but sea and sky, so daily life unfolds against the sound of water, wind, birds, and boat hulls meeting the ocean. Those same waves inspired the curving roof that gives the project its name.

The roof geometry is formed by pine shingles laid over curved eucalyptus laminated wood beams, carried on circular galvanized steel pillars. Read from a distance, the silhouette recalls a ship cutting through swells toward the horizon. Working with the narrowness of the plot and the tall surrounding walls, the architects extended the plan from neighbor to neighbor, opening the house both to the access road at the front and to the sea at the back. A staircase and an elevator riding a hydraulic glass piston connect the floors.

Living with the Landscape

The program reads from the entry down toward the water. The access level holds the laundry area, kitchen, and the living and dining rooms. The floor above gathers staff quarters, a guest bedroom, and a TV room. The lower level brings the most direct contact with nature, where a winding infinity pool separates the sea from a lawned garden, joined by an acerola tree and a vertical garden, with a lounge, gourmet area, bar, sauna, and changing room completing the level. A final flight of stairs reaches an intimate floor of three suites, a family room, and a playroom.

Steep coastal sites place hard demands on residential architecture, where slope, salt air, and limited buildable ground shape every decision. Designing for a granite outcrop above Rio de Janeiro means treating the view and the climate as primary materials, letting cross breezes and framed horizons do much of the work that walls might otherwise carry. The choice of laminated timber and a wave-like roof ties the structure to its maritime setting rather than imposing on it. The result is a house that seems to lean into the wind, organized so that each descending floor draws its occupants a little closer to the water.