Main Facts
In the burgeoning coastal neighborhood of Praia do Campeche, located on the southern coast of Florianópolis, Brazil, the renowned architecture studio Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados has completed a striking residential project simply titled the Campeche Houses. Curated by Susanna Moreira and captured through the lens of architectural photographer Débora Jank, the project was officially published in October 2026, capturing international interest for its innovative approach to contemporary co-housing.
The genesis of the project lies in a deeply personal narrative: two lifelong friends shared a collective dream to establish roots in Florianópolis. Rather than purchasing separate, disconnected properties across the city, the friends opted for a pragmatic yet deeply symbolic real estate strategy—they acquired a single, shared plot of land in Campeche. This decision set the stage for an intricate architectural puzzle: how to design and construct two independent residences on one lot while safeguarding the personal autonomy and privacy of each household, yet still engineering opportunities for close, communal interaction.
The resulting structures manage to balance these seemingly contradictory demands. Through a thoughtful deployment of raw concrete, open-air courtyards, and clever spatial orientation, Terra e Tuma has crafted a built environment that feels both expansive and intimate. The design avoids the claustrophobic pitfalls typical of sub-divided urban lots, instead offering a masterclass in how shared land can foster community without sacrificing individual domestic sanctuary.
Chronology
The realization of the Campeche Houses followed a deliberate timeline, moving from a conceptual campfire conversation between friends to a meticulously executed built reality.
- Phase 1: The Vision and Acquisition (Pre-Design): The project originated from a shared aspiration between two friends seeking to relocate to or establish permanent homes in Florianópolis. Recognizing both the economic efficiency and social appeal of pooling resources, they spent months scouting the island before settling on a plot in Praia do Campeche—a neighborhood prized for its natural beauty, laid-back surf culture, and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Phase 2: Commissioning Terra e Tuma (Early Planning): Once the land was secured, the clients approached Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Known for their contextual sensitivity, material honesty, and masterful handling of tight or complex urban footprints, the studio was an ideal match for the brief. Initial discussions centered on zoning laws, spatial division, and the psychological balance between privacy and communal living.
- Phase 3: Design and Spatial Negotiation: The architectural team embarked on an intensive design phase that lasted several months. This period involved mapping out solar orientation, prevailing coastal winds, and pedestrian flows across the shared lot. The layout was iterated multiple times to ensure neither house would cast excessive shadow over the other or compromise each other’s visual privacy.
- Phase 4: Construction and Materialization: Construction kicked off utilizing a robust palette dominated by cast-in-place concrete, masonry, and locally sourced elements suited to a coastal microclimate. The building process emphasized structural integrity and low-maintenance longevity, crucial factors for residential architecture exposed to sea salt and high humidity.
- Phase 5: Completion and Publication (October 2026): The houses were finalized, landscaped, and occupied by the respective families. Professional photography by Débora Jank documented the completed project, leading to its official public launch and critical acclaim on architectural platforms like ArchDaily in October 2026.
Supporting Data
Understanding the architectural weight of the Campeche Houses requires looking at the quantitative and qualitative metrics that define the intervention:
- Project Name: Campeche Houses (Casas Campeche)
- Architectural Practice: Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados
- Curator: Susanna Moreira
- Photographer: Débora Jank
- Location: Praia do Campeche, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
- Typology: Residential / Co-Housing / Dual-Residence on a Single Lot
- Primary Materials: Exposed concrete, glass, masonry, and regional timber elements
- Publication Date: October 7, 2026
- Spatial Strategy: Dual independent footprints sharing a transitional courtyard space, maximizing cross-ventilation and natural daylight while preserving acoustic and visual privacy between the two dwellings.
Official Responses
While formal press statements from the clients remain private, the design philosophy articulated by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados sheds light on the conceptual core of the project. According to the architects’ official text description, the primary driver was navigating the fine line between independence and togetherness:
"Two friends and a shared plan: to build their homes in Florianópolis. Choosing a shared plot of land in Praia do Campeche was not only pragmatic but also symbolic. Thus arose the challenge of designing two independent residences on a single lot, keeping in mind the autonomy of each—as well as the potential for closer, almost communal, interaction."
The studio emphasizes that the project was treated not merely as a division of real estate, but as an exercise in relational architecture. By shaping the voids between the built volumes—the courtyards, pathways, and shared thresholds—the architects engineered a built landscape where social encounters are organic rather than forced. The architecture acts as a mediator, allowing the two friends to share a backyard ecosystem while retreating into structurally independent, acoustically insulated homes when privacy is desired.
Implications
The Campeche Houses project carries profound implications for contemporary residential architecture, particularly in rapidly developing coastal and urban regions across Latin America.
1. Reimagining Co-Housing and Land Economics
In many desirable coastal markets like Florianópolis, land prices have skyrocketed due to tourism, speculation, and urban migration. The model demonstrated by Terra e Tuma offers a viable alternative to single-family suburban sprawl or high-density apartment living. By pooling resources to buy a single lot, friends, extended families, or like-minded groups can secure prime real estate without falling prey to commercial developers. This decentralizes housing development and puts architectural agency back into the hands of communities.
2. Architectural Typologies for Urban Density
As cities and towns expand, zoning laws frequently grapple with how to regulate multi-family or dual-occupancy lots without destroying neighborhood character. The Campeche Houses provide a brilliant precedent for how a single plot can house two distinct architectural volumes without feeling overcrowded. Through careful massing, strategic window placement, and the integration of micro-courtyards, the project proves that density does not have to come at the expense of human scale or spatial dignity.
3. Materiality and Environmental Responsiveness
Situated in a coastal environment, the choice of robust materials like exposed concrete is both an aesthetic and a functional statement. The buildings are engineered to weather the elements gracefully, reducing lifecycle maintenance costs for the owners. Furthermore, the emphasis on courtyards promotes passive cooling, maximizing sea breezes and natural light, which reduces the reliance on mechanical climate control systems—a crucial consideration for sustainable residential design in tropical climates.
Conclusion
Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados has delivered more than just two houses on a single plot of sand and grass in Campeche. They have crafted a physical manifestation of friendship, shared investment, and architectural ingenuity. As urban areas worldwide face housing affordability crises and a cultural shift toward more connected, community-oriented lifestyles, the Campeche Houses stand as a luminous beacon of how design can harmonize autonomy with togetherness.
