What was the structural challenge of the house in the article?

The case is a new three-story, 700 m² house with a prime view of Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo. It was designed by MM18 Arquitetura and built by CH3 over 14 months, under the responsibility of engineer Nelson Pereira.

The starting point

In the initial concept, the client had a clear vision: the house would be built with 100% metal materials, in steel. That choice defined the design's identity and its modern look. The problem arose when the cost of steel rose sharply and it became too expensive an item for that construction system.

What was at stake

Swapping one material for a cheaper one would solve only part of the problem. The technical team's goal was to preserve the design's identity and modern character while reducing the overall cost.

How the technical team responded

CH3's technical team reviewed the design and looked for alternative solutions for the structural system and the walls. The result was replacing the steel structure with a composite concrete and steel structure, cutting the cost of that item by about 60%, and replacing the concrete masonry with aerated concrete blocks, significantly reducing the weight.

As a result, the heat load dropped and the air conditioning system became more energy efficient, saving about 2 TR per floor (1 TR equals about 13,000 BTUs).

This kind of re-evaluation is common in the residential projects CH3 builds, where financial, environmental and sustainability awareness guides technical decisions. For you, the case shows that a price increase in one material doesn't have to stall a project: there is room to redesign the solution without losing what the client values.