(Gustavo Uemura/ Designboom/CASACOR)
With its minimal footprint, bamboo interiors and open terraces, the “Monkey House” is all about connecting with nature in a gentle and subtle way. Created by studio Marko Brajovic for a wooded plot of land in Paraty, the two-bedroom house is inspired by the verticality of the forest and design solutions already found in the natural world. (Gustavo Uemura/ Designboom/CASACOR)
“A few years ago, the monkeys that lived at the foot of the mountains in Paraty disappeared. It was said to be due to yellow fever that was supposedly spreading among primate families. We were very sad. At the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, the day we started thinking about a house that is linked to the magnitude of the trees, a family of capuchin monkeys appeared, a complete tribe! They came back and taught us why, where and how to design our project", explains Marko Brajovic Atelier. (Rafael Medeiros/ Designboom/CASACOR)
The Monkey House turns the horizon sideways and follows the growth of trees, which rise towards the sky in search of sunlight and energy. The strong verticality of the building is thanks to the interlocking wooden elements (all with the same profile), covered by galvalume skin and thermo-acoustic insulation. The house was installed among the trees and occupies an area of just 5m x 6m so as not to interfere with the native vegetation. (Rafael Medeiros/ Designboom/CASACOR)
(Rafael Medeiros/ Designboom/CASACOR)
The compact house has 54 m2 of internal area and another 32 m2 of covered area, providing a very strong connection with the natural context of the forest. The program consists of a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms that can be transformed into residential spaces. Two side terraces provide cross ventilation and a large rooftop terrace offers a multifunctional space for physical activity, study or meditation. (Rafael Medeiros/ Designboom/CASACOR)
The interiors incorporate handcrafted bamboo finishes, curtains made from fishing nets from local communities, furniture that combines Japanese design objects with indigenous Guarani crafts, and docol and mekal metal appliances. (Gustavo Uemura/ Designboom/CASACOR)
The landscaping project is simply the reforestation of the secondary forest where the house is located. The wild aesthetic that surrounds the project was possible by boosting the natural growth of endemic plants (found only in the region), thus reinforcing the experience of the house being immersed in an original natural context. 
“The monkey house is an observatory, a place of encounter and reunion with oneself and with other species, to observe nature outside and within us, where everything is in everything", says Marko Brajovic Atelier. Source:
Designboom 
