Jungle Viva

_Words Ginny Fisher
Photography Tuca Reinés_

To escape work pressure in the bustling Brazilian metropolis of San Paulo, Brazilian architect Arthur Casas likes to plant himself in the Atlantic bush for rejuvenation.

Doors, or a lack of them, are a defining element of this south Brazilian holiday home, says the owner and architect Arthur Casas. “When I am in the living room, it’s like I am in the forest,” says Casas dreamily, from his San Paulo architectural office. “The idea was to integrate the house with the Mata Atlântica [Atlantic Bush].” To achieve this, the living room and central slab of the home were opened to the north and south via huge sliding glass doors that reach up to the second storey, also opening the mezzanine floor to the elements.

As a result, the climate played a central role in Casa’s design. “It’s hot most of the year, so we had to think about ventilation, and just opening the doors creates enough of a through-draught that we don’t require air conditioning in the main living area.” In addition to the huge sliders, Casas used exterior wooden slats that can be opened to increase airflow throughout the home.

The moderate temperatures of southern Brazil are pretty similar to the sub-tropical north of New Zealand. Temperatures in the area drop to around 17 degrees Celcius in winter and reach highs of 30 in summer, but rain and humidity are always present. “We have sun in the morning and rain in the afternoon, which tends to prevent temperatures from soaring too high.” The overhang that juts out from the living room and kitchen over the decking protects the interior from the downpours, so the sliding windows can still be left open, even in the rain – the sounds of the dripping rainforest adding to the feeling of being amid nature.

The four-bedroom home was built in 2005, and is situated just a two hour drive from San Paulo city, and although the site looks to have been carved out of thick bush, Casas says the land was already cleared when he purchased it. This meant he was able to position the home where he pleased without much excavation. Casas chose a sunny northern exposure, which was sheltered enough by the trees to provide some shade in summer.

The fact that the home hones in on the bush led Casas to use a palette of all-natural and sustainable materials. The exterior cladding, decking and interior floors are all crafted from Cumara, an untreated, sustainable Brazilian hardwood that is an extremely durable for this climate, as it withstands heat and humidity without losing its natural colour, he explains. Glass and wood are the two main materials used throughout and the fact that the home is naturally ventilated and heated through the glass in winter means electricity bills are vastly reduced.

Casas’ favourite area of the house is the living room, which serves as the hub, opening onto the terrace, studio and kitchen on the lower level. “The intimate contact with nature is really felt in this room. At night we watch movies with the doors open and sometimes an owl or a bat flies into the living room. And in the day, birds flit in and out,” he recalls. While snakes and other nastier bugs also call the bush home, Casas says he hasn’t yet encountered any creature fierce or dangerous.

The open plan nature of the home suits the lifestyle of the architect, his wife and daughter. “It’s comfortable and elegant, yet without pretension. The fact that it’s not too large also makes maintenance easier,” he says. Even so, every four weeks, Casas has someone come to the house to clean cobwebs and any other natural visitor tracks from the home.

Smooth indoor-outdoor living was a key goal for Casas, and the vast deck successfully enhances the feeling of the living room reaching the outer boundaries of the bush. Right on the edge of the verdant jungle, Casas designed a heated spa pool, which can be covered with a sliding section of decking when they are away.

The simplicity of the home’s design and the focus on nature led Casas to play down the interior decoration of the home, so not to overtake the beauty of the bush. In his studio, the large, simple square window without a sill, frames the lush flora like a living artwork. In the living room, Casas added vintage furniture, such as the brown leather Mathias Seiler seat that belonged to his grandmother in the ‘50s, to give the room a more laid back aesthetic. The hanging fireplace, which is based on a ‘60s design, gives the room a retro feel, and was sourced through American fireplace design company, Fireorb. The floating hearth has a suitable organic shape and because it doesn’t require a drywall, it could be placed anywhere in the room without occupying too much space. Casas also liked the fact that you can still huddle around the fireplace without the view being blocked; in fact you’re staring right at it.

Although when looking at the home front on, it looks to be all on one level, in fact there are three. The floor plan has good flow, says Casas and works well for his needs. In the basement level, there are storage areas, which remain naturally cool throughout the year, as well as a sauna room; on the living room level, there is an open plan kitchen, a housekeeper’s room and bathroom, and a studio and laundry; and on the top level, three bedrooms run off the central floating mezzanine.

The simple box-like feel of the home adheres to the Brazilian architectural movement of the 1950s known as Paulist Brutalist architecture, which employed simple shapes and materials, used minimum resources, and where the design was thought through on the basis of the people occupying the home, rather than ornamentation. Casas says he has always been attracted to this period of 1950s Brazilian architecture. Despite references to fine Brazilian architecture of the past, Casas says his main inspiration was drawn from the environment he likes the most – the home of birds, trees and bats, the dripping green rooms of the Mata Atlântica.