Casa Rio Bonito is a weekend home located in Rio Bonito de cima, a mountain region east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The proximity of the river was a signi cant factor in the siting of the project.

Two stone bearing walls of 1.10 meters in thickness support four steel beams which carry the roof and oor joists.

Two voids puncture the roof at either end of the structure, washing the interior surface of the stone bearing walls with light and creating a stark contrast be- tween the weight of the structure and lightness of the roof and oor which oat above the rough ground.

In contrast to the oor to ceiling glazing offering views to the river at the front façade, openings at the back façade give vertical continuity to the large open- ings above. As the house is suspended from the ground, it is protected from moisture and weather while maintaining a visual connection to the river.

The structural stone walls are circulation routes to a roof top garden at the exterior and contain a replace and wood burning stove at the interior, further extrapolating the notion of solid versus void.

Water and re, weight and lightness, archaic and modern coexist in the cosmol- ogy of this habitat.

 

 

​