Rio Bonito House | Carla Juaçaba

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. 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. 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.