marko brajovic completes forest-inspired 'monkey house' in paraty, brazil

with its minimal footprint, bamboo interiors, and open terraces, the ‘monkey house’ is all about connecting to nature in a gentle and subtle way. realized by atelier marko brajovic for a forested site in paraty, brazil, the two-bedroom dwelling takes inspiration from the verticality of the forest and design solutions already found in the natural world.

image © gustavo uemura

‘a few years ago, the monkeys that lived at the foot of serra in paraty disappeared. it was said that it was due to the yellow fever that supposedly spread among the primate families. we were very sad. at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, the day we started thinking about a house that is connected to the magnitude of the trees, there they appeared. a family of capuchin monkeys, a complete tribe! they came back and taught us why, where, and how to design our project,’ explains marko brajovic atelier.

image © rafael medeiros

the monkey house turns the horizon on its side and instead follows the growth of trees, which soar towards the sky in search of sunlight and energy. the strong verticality of the building is achieved by interlocking timber components (all of the same profile), covered by galvalume skin and thermoacoustic insulation. the house was installed between the trees and occupies a footprint of just 5m x 6m to avoid interfering with the native vegetation.

image © rafael medeiros

to design the supporting structure of the house, the team observed which plants are best adapted to the topography of the land and which strategies are adopted to allow stability in the vertical growth. the ‘juçara’ (euterpe edulis) is a palm species of the atlantic forest that is structured through anchor roots. adapting itself to the sloping terrain and distributing loads over multiple vectors, it ensures stability for its thin and very tall trunk. for this project, marko brajovic atelier applied the same strategy, creating a series of thin and dense pillars, inspired by the morphology of the roots of the juçara palm, and thus ensuring the stability of the vertical construction.

image © rafael medeiros

the compact house has 581 ft2 (54 m2) of internal area and another 344 ft2 (32 m2) of covered space, providing a very strong connection with the natural context of the forest. the program comprises a kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms that can be turned into living spaces. two side terraces provide cross ventilation and a generous terrace on the top floor offers a multifunctional space for physical activities, study or meditation.

image © rafael medeiros

the interiors incorporate handmade bamboo finishes, curtains made with fishing net from local communities, furniture that combines japanese design objects with indigenous guarani handicrafts, and metal appliances from docol and mekal. the landscaping project is simply the reforestation of the secondary forest where the house is located. the wild aesthetic surrounding the house was possible by driving the natural growth of the same endemic plants from the surroundings, thus reinforcing the experience of the house being immersed in an original natural context.

image © gustavo uemura

‘the monkey house is an observatory. a place of encounter and reunion with yourself and other species, to observe nature outside and inside us, where everything is in everything,’ says marko brajovic atelier.

image © gustavo uemura

image © rafael medeiros

image © gustavo uemura

image © rafael medeiros

project info:

project name: monkey house (casa do macaco)

location: paraty, RJ, brazil

architecture firm: marko brajovic atelier

lead architect: marko brajovic

project team: marko brajovic, bruno bezerra, vitoria mendes, maira shinzato

area: 926 ft2 (86 m2)

year: 2020

photography: rafael medeiros, gustavo uemura

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom