Offering its own twist on the concept of treetop living, Casa Monoculo is a contemporary Brazilian home raised above a densely wooded area of Eldorado, a neighbourhood of Alto Paraiso City. The brainchild of Brasília-based architect Alan Chu, this is a treehouse, but not as you know it; it’s also as expansive and modern as the finest villas, making the most of its setting, views and scale in one fell swoop.
Casa Monoculo: life above the treetops
Working with unusual conditions – the plot is near the city centre, but at the same time is engulfed in greenery and preserved Cerrado vegetation – Chu opted for a sensitive approach. His plan was to elevate the structure from the ground, to avoid disturbing the existing nature and cutting trees down. As a result, not only does the house, set on 12 black metal pillars five metres above ground, touch lightly on the forest floor, but it also offers its lucky residents long vistas of the city, the sunrise, and the mountains in the distance.
Named after the traditional monocle (translating to 'monóculo' in Portuguese), the home was designed to frame experiences, capture and magnify its inspiring environment through its privileged and unconventional set-up. A winding staircase guides visitors from the ground to the house above, ensuring everyone connects to the surroundings on the journey up.
'The Monóculo house has been designed to not only leave an everlasting memory of the view but to have provided its guests with a unique and unforgettable experience,' Chu concludes, in a written statement.
-
‘Very Roman, very Bulgari’: Mary Katrantzou on the ancient roots of her opulent first accessories collection for BulgariGreek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou, Bulgari’s new creative director of leather goods and accessories, breaks down her debut ‘Calla’ collection for Wallpaper*
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throwsArchitectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
-
How to buy art: the accessible new marketThanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
-
All aboard Casa Quinta, floating in Brazil’s tropical rainforestCasa Quinta by Brazilian studio Arquipélago appears to float at canopy level in the heart of the rainforest that flanks the picturesque town of Paraty on the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
-
Feel like a movie? The top 50 films of all time according to Marcio KoganMarcio Kogan's top 50 films of all time; the architect taps into his passion for the moving image and shares with us his recommendations
-
Studio mk27 and Marcio Kogan’s greatest hits: from voluptuous villas to relaxing retreatsStudio mk27, led by Wallpaper* guest editor Marcio Kogan, is behind buildings that make us swoon; here are the best of the best
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practicesIn the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
-
How guest editor Marcio Kogan, during a visit to the movies, ‘discovered that something else exists in the world, real poetry’Marcio Kogan is a guest editor of Wallpaper* October 2024. In his dedicated section, we discover how the world of cinema’s loss was architecture’s gain when a feature film failed but a dream space creator rose from the ashes
-
Brazilian modernism finds its latest expression in Studio Porto’s AG HouseStudio Porto, an emerging Brazilian practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
-
A modernist São Paulo apartment finds a new lease of lifeA spacious modernist São Paulo apartment in the neighbourhood of Higienópolis gets a thorough renovation by Brazilian architects Bloco Arquitetos
-
Explore Bridge House, an immersive island home off the coast of BrazilBridge House offers 21st-century minimalism and long sea views on the island of Florianópolis off the southern coast of Brazil
