Extending Roofs from Brazil to India: Parallel Residential Design Elements as Seen in 10 ProjectsSave this picture!Redux House / studio mk27 Fernando Guerra | FG+SG; Parikrama House / SPASM Design Architects Umang ShahIt shouldn't be too surprising that architectural concepts were traveling around the globe long before the online spread of information. While many regions share certain historical events and hence references (such as colonization and the mid-20th-century independence movement/ turn of political systems), others might have simply developed parallel solutions to similar climates and material availability. Additionally, it was only natural that with the dissemination of a more uniform architectural pedagogy acquired while studying abroad, followed by the internet boom, we would find almost twin projects from every corner of the world. While these might look nearly identical from some angles, they might bear different layers and stories. Then again, they might also display the same reasoning and prompts shared by counterparts from across the seas.While cultural differences persist, similarities such as histories, climate, topography, and vegetation allow design solutions and elements to be incorporated into the local architecture of countries on completely different continents, as is the case with the use of slender, extended roofs in Brazil and India. Although of various styles, many of these parallel projects were present in ArchDaily's project library. These roofs are represented through many shapes and forms and include large eaves, openings to let in natural light, or even curves to allow water to flow through. However, they also all seem to stem from a reinterpretation of modernist design concepts, which resonate in both countries. Numerous comparisons have previously been made between Brazil and India's colonial and post-colonial architectural development, as well as their more recent urban growth.Although the Portuguese presence in India slightly preceded their arrival in modern-day Brazil, both countries were left with a similar colonial architecture, which was followed by close post-colonial eras and a deep admiration for modernism in the 1960s. While Lcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer were realizing their urban vision for Brazilia, Chandigarh was materializing according to plans by Le Corbusier and influencing the next generation of iconic Indian architects. Add to that the aforementioned local climatic requirements and global design trends/ tools, and you will inevitably end up mirroring thought processes by architects who might not have been familiar with each other's work and produced similar results around the same time.The examples below show how ideas are not fixed to a specific location, nor are they static in themselves, but can travel to different parts of the world and incorporate new elements.Float-en-Fold house / architecture.SEEDThrissur, IndiaSave this picture!Itamambuca House / Gui MattosPraia do Itamambuca, BrazilSave this picture!The Slab House / 3dor ConceptsTaliparamba, IndiaSave this picture!House in Pombal Street / So Paulo CriaoSo Paulo, BrazilSave this picture!The Cove House / Red Brick StudioPanshet, IndiaSave this picture!Caf House / TETRO ArquiteturaDivinpolis, BrazilSave this picture!The Veranda House / Studio EspaazoAhmedabad, IndiaSave this picture!Vale da Lua Cabin / Corteo ArquitetosPinto Bandeira, BrazilSave this picture!Parikrama House / SPASM Design ArchitectsNandgaon, IndiaSave this picture!Redux House / studio mk27Bragana Paulista, BrazilSave this picture!Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Susanna Moreira. "Extending Roofs from Brazil to India: Parallel Residential Design Elements as Seen in 10 Projects" 05 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026829/extending-roofs-from-brazil-to-india-parallel-residential-design-elements-as-seen-in-10-projects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream