carla juaçaba: rio bonito house, brazil

‘house in rio bonito’ by carla juaçaba, rio de janeiro, brazilimage © nelson kon

carla juaçaba‘s design for a weekend home in mountainous eastern region of rio de janeiro uses the load bearing properties of meter-thick stone walls to suspend the roof and floor joists. four steel beams puncture walls so as to allow a sliver of glazing to wash the interior of the stone walls with diffused light. the visual weight of the rustic stone counters the lightness of the horizontal planes, creating an effect that mirrors the nearby river where diaphanous space confronts stalwart earth. the home explores the architectonics of encounter; water and fire, weight and lightness, archaic and industrial, and solid versus void.

the brazilian architect was awarded the 2013 ‘arcVision prize for women in architecture‘ for her ‘pavilion humanidade 2012‘.

‘house in rio bonito’ by carla juaçaba, rio de janeiro, brazilimage © nelson kon

‘rio bonito house’ by carla juaçaba, rio de janeiro, brazilimage © nelson kon

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