Rio Bonito House

Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon

RIO BONITO HOUSE

Carla Juaçaba

ARCHITECTS
Carla Juaçaba

LOCATION
Lumiar, Brazil

CATEGORY
Houses

AREA
70.0 m²

YEAR
2005

PHOTOGRAPHS
Nelson Kon

The "Three Peaks" nature preserve, situated in the Nova Friburgo mountains of the Rio Bonito hinterland, was the spot chosen for the residence-cum-retreat of the director of the museum images of the unconscious, Luiz Carlos Mello.

Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon

Its proximity to the river was a deciding factor among the choices presented for such a project.

Two stone walls - 1.10 meters, or 3' 7", thick - support four steel beams, upon which rest the floors and roofing.

Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon

The weight of the structure is in contrast with the airiness of the empty space (10 meters or 21 feet high), enhanced by two skylights which separate the upper story from the structural walls. On the back wall, the windows are gashes from floor to ceiling which provide vertical continuity for the horizontality of the skylights.

The house, thus suspended from the ground, is protected from humidity and inclement weather, and, at the same time, allows for a view of the river passing by in the distance.

Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon

In the stone walls, a log stove and a fireplace, one on either side of the house, make for effective heating. On the outside, a staircase built by the staggered removal of stones from the wall, leads to the terrace: a vantage point for stargazing.

Water and fire, weight and weightlessness, the archaic and the modern merging in a unique cosmic habitat.

Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon


Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon
Rio Bonito House
© Nelson Kon


Rio Bonito House
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Rio Bonito House
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Rio Bonito House
Plan
Rio Bonito House
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