Sculpting the Void

The Architecture of Nature – that we understand as, a natural landscape, the importance of the place and the present elements – ends up coming into confrontation with the Architecture of Man, often limiting and/or regulating it. The exercise of designing on Nature, so that the final result is a consonant connection, through different origins.

This project is developed in two aspects: in one hand, the definition of a program that is defined by the design of a Natural Pool and a Jetty that emphasizes the natural geography of the ground; and, on the other hand, by the design of a route through a rocky environment, which guides the passer-by along a trail that seeks to pay tribute to Nature until the moment when it encounters the architectural interventions. Brazil is a country culturally known for its paradisiacal beaches accessible through trails in the middle of the Atlantic Forest which has na incomparable rich flora. The path created will allow areas that were previously inaccessible to be reached, without decreasing the authenticity of the place. The proposal presents several moments, and on them, multiple sensations, never ignoring the natural environment, from the roughness of the rocks, the variation of the tide of the ocean, the presence of the Atlantic Forest, to the reddish concrete surfaces. A Natural Pool is drawn in the middle of the trail, taking advantage of the curve from the natural relief of the coastline providing the possibility to walk on it`s edge. From there, the user can dive in a more safe way or just stop to admire the strengh of the surrounding nature. The design of the Jetty guides us from the land to the sea, promoting a diversified experience of the space, through paths that interact with those who are walking on it. Those are dynamic and question the user through the multiple existing levels that provide various framings of the landscape. The jetty presents the possibility to have immediate contact with the water through the diving sites or in a gradual and calm way by walking the ramp to the bottom of the sea, where the body is slowly embraced in a comforting way by the water. A tunnel is also designed in the jetty, which guides us through a small space where we are guided by the tear of light projected in the Wall. In addition, and visual limited, we can feel the waves of the ocean – as auditory stimulus- marking the internal space in a rhythmic way. Architecture made by Man, allied with the strengh of Nature, can create even more powerfull places