Press Release
Casa Acqua Residential House by Cristina Menezes Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Cristina Menezes honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Casa Acqua Residential House by Cristina Menezes, designed for Cristina Menezes Arquitetura, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Casa Acqua Residential House
Casa Acqua is a residential house built in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The layout follows early Roman dwellings, with four modules arranged around an inner courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by water mirrors that recall a central fountain. All modules are fully open to allow natural ventilation and daylight, so air conditioning is not required. Vertical awnings and windshields provide privacy and protection from sun, rain, insects and strong winds. Prefabricated modules shortened construction time and reduced waste. The total area is two hundred and ten square meters.
About Cristina Menezes
Cristina Menezes Architecture is a studio founded in 1990 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, by architect Cristina Menezes. The studio develops architectural design and interior design of houses, shops, restaurants, shows, offices, hotels and schools in Brazil, Europe and USA. The studio has won several national and international awards. Some projects were published in magazines and books around the world.
Award Record
With this recognition, Cristina Menezes is a winner of 4 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2015 - 2016 and the 2021 - 2022 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/139984
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/139984
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!139984
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/150446
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://cristinamenezes.com.br/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Casa Acqua Residential House
- Function
- Residential House
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Midnight Blue, Black, Steel Blue, Dark Slate Gray and Dark Slate Blue
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Cristina Menezes Arquitetura
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Cristina Menezes
- Country
- Brazil
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #139984
Credits
- Team
- Jackie Kelly;, Isabella Gallegos; and Roberta Antunes.
- Image Credits
- Main Image: Photographer Jomar Bragança,2021; Photographer Jomar Bragança,2021; Photographer Jomar Bragança,2021 Vídeo: Estudio NY18,2021
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Casa Acqua was created specifically for the demand action in Brazil, for this time that the world is living in! It provides inspiration and tools for anyone in Brazil or anywhere with dry tropical climate! For who is interested to live with heathly and on nature! A home with the precepts of sustainability is the unique and different guideline! The use of prefabricated modules reduced the impact of construction on nature; shortened construction time and cost!
- Inspiration
- Casa Acqua was conceptualized in the same guidelines as the first Roman dwellings, those one had an O shaped floor plan with an inner courtyard allowing the visual integration of all spaces. This typology was suitable for current times to Casa Acqua using four modules individualized with an inner courtyard, surrounded by water mirrors to symbolize the central fountain! All modules are fully open to ensure the use of ventilation and natural lighting. Vertical awnings were used for privacy.
- Research
- Nowadays all architects comunities are trying to help the people to live better and heathly in their homes! Casa Acqua concept was created for this demand action in Brazil! It is too late to prevent the world from changing, but not late enough that all hope has been lost for a better world. Architecture is deeply involved in this process, as the transformation of the built environment and the construction industry are key to the way we live. Casa Acqua is a way to provide inspiration and tools for anyone in a country with dry tropical climate!
- Challenge
- The key challenge was to find the right solution to close Casa Acqua without glass frames! The client asked for ventilation and natural lighting in its fullness with full integration with the outdoor area. To have privacy and protection from the sun; from rain; from insects and strong winds, vertical windshield and awnings were used that seal 95%! With this solution Casa Acqua guaranteed the precepts of sustainability and of a healthy home, for days of pandemic, without air conditioning!
- Realization and Technology
- The design was made with four pre-fabricated modules to build in a short time! The use of those modules allowed the use of synthetic coatings and sub-multiples of their measurements and this solution does not generate waste, with less impact on nature . Casa Acqua is fully open to provide full integration with the outdoor area.
- Operation and Interaction
- This project was created for a young couple to live, in times of a pandemic, in full contact with nature, full of light and natural ventilation, in Brazil!
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in May 2021 and the construction finished in September 2021 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Specifications
- The total area of Casa Acqua is two hundred and ten square meters including the water mirrors.
- Keywords
- tiny house, container house, water mirror, house , architecture innovation
