An Architect's Own Home Into The Rainforest

The Iporanga House, located deep into the rainforest of Guarujá, is the personal retreat of the Brazilian architect Arthur Casas, who designed the Brazilian Pavilion for Expo Milan.

- Jimena Martignoni

Getting there is already a liberating experience, since the hectic city of São Paulo is left behind and the exhilarating green of the Mata Atlántica (Atlantic Forest) starts revealing on the road and then in every corner, framing the ocean, covering the hills and invading one’s soul when finally crossing the canal on a Ferry Boat.

This is the scenario that Arthur Casas chose to build his family retreat and his place to relax and work. “This is our relaxing getaway but also our work space where we can create without any external distractions. I owe the conception of my finest projects, in the last ten years, to the peace I find in this house.” says Casas.

The architect chose Guarujá, in the Ilha de Santo Amaro (Saint Amaro Island), located to the north of the State of São Paulo, by the Atlantic Ocean, because it’s only a two-hour ride by car from the big city, where his office and home are based. Yet, the most significant reason was the Mata itself.

Although some of the most beautiful beaches of the Litoral concentrate in this area, the lot where he built the house is not facing the sea and is not directly connected to the beach. Instead, he placed the construction into the forest. Almost as a nest resting on a tree, this house rests on the dense Mata, where the intoxicating perfumes of the flowers and fruits seem to generate a protecting invisible shield, hiding away the people who inhabit these magical spaces, into the most soundless environment.