See also: Portuguese architecture and
Brazilian architecture Featuring typically two floors with a
balcony casas térreas, the sobrados were the residences of urban notable people, particularly in the former colonial capital of Brazil,
Salvador in
Bahia. Often in dense urban areas, they serve as a form of colonial townhouse. They are also found in
Cape Verde, particularly in
São Filipe on the
Fogo island,
Lagos Island in
Nigeria,
Porto-Novo and
Ouidah in
Benin and
Angola, in
Luanda. It is also a form equivalent to the creole townhouse in
Louisiana. A sobrado typically consists of two or more floors and a relatively large built area. A central or rear courtyard is often featured to provide light and ventilation to the building's large constructed area. During the
colonial period in Brazil these houses served as residences for slave owners in cities, heralding a sluggish beginning for
urbanization in Brazil. In the previous period, an antagonism existed between the
casa-grandes and the slave quarters, where the houseowners contrasted with the housekeepers who belonged to the poorer strata of society. The expression arose naturally from the houses built in the cities of
Minas Gerais (especially during the Gold Cycle), usually characterized by a topography typically called mar de morros (Portuguese: "sea of hills"): the constructions were carried out from the highest level of the street, so that there was "a space" under the main floor of the building. Over time, this lower level came to be considered the ground floor, characterising these "maisonettes". Sobrados are characterised by stuccoed façades, symmetrical layouts, tiled roofs for heat insulation, and prominent balconies. == Function ==