In Diamantina, nestling in a valley in the interior of Brazil, I designed three houses. They are intended for people in the third stage of life, who after their working years return in old age to the place of their youth. The House of Earth sits on one of the hills outside Diamantina. It is a shelter for a retiring intellectual. In the centre of the city is the House of Fire: a house converted to receive an active community four to six strong. The House of Water is discovered near the centre of Diamantina; it is a sheltered old-age housing complex with facilities for those requiring assistance.

My project concerns the third stage of life; it has nothing to do with death. The inhabitants of my houses are going about the business of living, not counting the days they have left. Each house corresponds to a different way of life. Choosing one of these three possibilities does not tie you to it indefinitely; it opens up a route, a route through the third stage of life. This project is as much socio-cultural as it is architectural. 

Place of education: Amsterdam
Tutors: Arie van Rangelrooy, Herman Kerkdijk, Liesbeth van der Pol & Peter Defesche
Specialization: architecture.