The Passion of an Architect

Maria Paiva is very passionate about her work
and finds Bali to be the perfect environment
for design due to the climate, the wide range
of materials available and the vast amounts of
creative energy that abound on the island

The Passion of an Architect

“The great thing about living and working in Bali is the great range of beautiful local materials, and when you use them in the right place with the right concept you just get a fabulous property,” enthuses Maria. “The weather allows us to create magnificent spaces with a magical dynamic, the kind of concept that most people who visit here never get to see back home. I love being able to create things that so many people will love and feel happy to be in.”

Portuguese Maria’s story on how she came to be living here in Bali is a common one. She came here on a holiday with friends five years ago and fell in love with the place and before she knew it she was back with a visa and a dream to fulfill. “I thought to myself that one day I would live in Bali,” she says. “My friends thought I was crazy since I was living in the other side of world at the time…but here I am.” Bali has a way of absorbing talent when she sees it.

She has a profound respect for the Balinese culture, and tries to strike a balance between modern designs with Balinese elements and materials, that will make the project as unique as Bali is itself. Her designs follow a modern tropical style, where the transition from outside to inside happens through spaces, with water elements
such as pools or ponds incorporated in the living spaces, where there can exist an interaction between indoor and outdoor areas. On a practical level she tries to create simple spaces with simple lines to make a project stand out from the crowd. “I try to avoid an entrance way with direct views into the house from the street, not only for privacy but also to create a pathway that flows for the rest of the house. I will also try to orient the house towards the west in order to maximize the natural light in the dwelling as well as incorporating natural features of the property, such as trees and rocks and rivers to create difference.” Maria also tries to go as ‘eco’ in her designs as the client’s budget will allow by using solar panels, low energy lighting throughout, rain water catchment facilities for garden irrigation, and for passive cooling through building orientation and the use of water features and roof gardens.

Designing a home is a very personal thing and an architect needs to work on so many levels with a client to help them realize their dreams. “My philosophy has always been to get to know the client and understand their needs and wishes,” says Maria. “For most of them this will be the first “dream home so everything has to be just right.”

Everything starts with a design concept, where she tries to organize a living environment that will make the client happy and secure in the fact that their house will be what they have envisaged. “Most clients give me a brief and then spend some time in my office with me discussing their ideas and then tell me to go for it. I come up with a concept, just send through drawings and 3D’s renderings for clients and away we go, she explains. “I have been very blessed with the kinds of clients I have had and the trust they have shown.”

For many first time builders, investing a vast quantity of their hard earned savings in a foreign nation with complex governmental and local rules and traditions, particularly people building a villa for holidays and rental returns, the process can be extremely daunting as it is very difficult to be able to find the time to be onsite during the entire construction process. Because of this, Maria does more than just design houses. She will oversee the entire building process from drawing board to the handover to make sure that things go smoothly.

The Passion of an Architect

They can put together a team of consultants covering everything from MEP to due diligence to interior design and to landscaping. “We have dependable contractors, and can do a great job regarding budgets, time frames, materials and types of finishing, always with solid on site supervision and project manager cooperation. We make sure the client gets exactly what they are paying for.”

“It hasn’t always been easy working in Bali and it took a long time to adapt to a whole new way of life,” says Maria. “But, when you are passionate for what you do, you do things in a different, more positive way. By slowly getting to know the system and building a network with individuals and companies such as Exotiq Real Estate, it has been a great help in coming to grips with the technicalities of land ownership and investments issues ands generally how things work in a foreign land.”

For all her talents, however, she wastes no time in laying the lion’s share of the credit for her company’s success at the feet of her team. “My architectural team and the engineers and all my onsite managers and contractors are great,” Maria praises. “They like what they do and they are motivated to get things done and resolved, and I trust them all 100%. That that’s what makes the company work.”

“I just love what I do,” she exclaims. “I cannot imagine not being able to design. I just have to create and give wings to my imagination, and then fit it in with the rules and restriction afterwards This is what for me makes the architectural exercise the most challenging.”
www.mariapaivaarchitect.com