PROGRAM: Hotel
AREA: 12,345 m²
LOCATION: São Miguel Arcanjo, Brasil
STATUS: Concept
TIMEFRAME: 2015–2016
Located near Carlos Botelho State Park in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, the project understands architecture as part of an ecological system that should be preserved and reinforced.
The architecture reinterprets local building traditions and geometries found in nature through a contemporary language. Reusing timber from the site, replanting native species, and integrating energy-generation and water-reuse systems form part of a strategy that reduces impact while strengthening the relationship between tourism, landscape and architecture.
Fifteen independent villas and a main building are distributed according to topography, existing vegetation, views and privacy. The fragmented layout responds to the site’s topography and existing vegetation, minimizing ground disturbance and avoiding building concentrations that could disrupt the ecological balance. Each villa is conceived as an autonomous volume, establishing its own direct and intimate relationship with the forest.
The new architecture draws inspiration from local indigenous constructions and the geometry of nature itself, respecting and integrating into the landscape while embracing contemporary design and comfort.
The project is conceived in an integrated manner with the aim of generating a positive environmental impact. The wood resulting from necessary tree felling is reused in the construction of the new volumes, reducing the need for external materials and reinforcing the material coherence of the whole. At the same time, native species are replanted around the buildings, contributing to the regeneration of the local ecosystem.
Furthermore, priority is given to the use of materials sourced from the site itself, and energy production and water reuse systems are incorporated, allowing high levels of self-sufficiency. These strategies reinforce the idea of a closed system in which resources are managed efficiently and responsibly.
The project proposes a reading of architecture as an active part of the ecosystem, in which tourism, nature, and built space are integrated into a single environmental logic. Architecture does not impose itself on the landscape, but emerges from it, adapting to its patterns and contributing to its long-term preservation.
DIRECTOR: Xavier Vilalta
PROJECT LEADER: Maite Boren
PROJECT TEAM: Dora Kerner, Krisztina Sárdi, Catarina Zappacosta, Monika Godlewska