Tree tribute: Offset house, São Paulo, Brazil by Shieh Arquitetos Associados.

Continuing today's theme of houses built around the appreciation of a particular tree, the Offset house in São Paulo, Brazil designed by Shieh Arquitetos Associados shows its appreciation of the magnificent tree already found on the site by articulating two halves of the building to create the impression that it wraps around the tree. From inside openings are placed at different levels, giving the viewer a perception of the tree's full scale. The plan form of the house comes from site constraints effectively giving a narrowing, or waist, to the usable area of the site. The main volume of the house sits some three stories high, but steps-up on the site to create a floating wing that is set on raking steel columns. The ground level is effectively the mid level of the house. Sliding glass walls to the main living accommodation completes the connection between the interior and the garden. Gratitude to plataforma arquitectura.