Atelier Branco Arquitetura’s Casa Biblioteca is a place for reflection. The open and airy property is 200 sq. m. of thinking space. Commissioned by a professor of the history of political thought who was a left-wing activist against Brazil’s military dictatorship in his youth, the space was briefed to be a temporary house between São Paulo and Campinas, where the client teaches.
This in itself is an interesting proposition for the architects: neither a holiday home, nor a permanent residence, Casa Biblioteca is to be a place of contemplation, sometimes work, but always away from the teeming streets of one of Brazil’s biggest cities.
The house is characterised by its location, situated on a steep incline, the residence spills over contours naturally, split into two levels to accommodate the incline. Floor to roof windows ensure that the property is an open, uncluttered space, blurring the lines between interior and exterior.
Surrounding the property is the area’s ‘Mata Atlantica’, the Atlantic Forest. Casa Biblioteca presents an open space perfect for a deep breath and a few hours of reading among the dense forest that surrounds.
Photography by Ricardo Bassetti, Gleeson Paulino, Jaqueline Lessa
If you’re in the mood for more of the world’s finest architecture, then check out Villa Waalre; a pared-back concrete home in the heart of a Dutch forest.
