THE BIG IDEA Green Space
In the renderings for Casa Atibaia, a concept by architects Charlotte Taylor and Nicholas Préaud, the minimalist home hovers above a river in a tropical forest, supported by monolithic rock formations. These natural pillars define the interiors, forming the walls of a dressing room and bathroom. The structure wraps around existing vegetation to create a natural courtyard, and its floor-to-ceiling glass windows allow the indoor spaces to visually blend with the lush, leafy surroundings.
Though ground hasn't yet been broken, Atibaia—named for a municipality in São Paolo, Brazil—provides a convincing argument for the benefits of biophilic design. And since the advent of Covid-19, the term has gained a renewed importance among design cognoscenti and their clients.
“The resulting feeling of this jungle home is one of complete symbiosis with the natural environment,” says Préaud, noting that he and Taylor started working on the plans in March 2020. “And this is something many people either acted on,
