Landscaping transforms spaces and experiences at CASACOR Minas 2026

At CASACOR Minas 2026, gardens do not appear only in the outdoor areas nor do they work as a frame for the architecture. They occupy the spaces, guide pathways, create areas to linger, filter the light, produce shade, and help define the atmosphere of each project. In an edition held in a historic building and guided by the theme "Mind and Heart", the landscape takes on an active role in the experience of those who walk through the exhibition.

The difference also lies in the very nature of plant matter. While walls, floors, and construction structures remain practically unchanged once finished, plants grow, bloom, lose leaves, respond to the wind, and change with the light throughout the day. The garden, therefore, is never exactly the same — and this transformation becomes part of the project.

Nãna Guimarães - Jardim Bem-Estar. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Gustavo Xavier/CASACOR)

This is what appears, through different paths, in the works of Kat Rosa, Flávia D'Urso, and Nãna Guimarães. Their projects explore permanence, the passage of time, introspection, and encounter to show how incorporating nature into architecture also means thinking about the way we want to occupy and experience spaces.

Myrna Porcaro – Living e Jardim de Inverno. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Gustavo Xavier/CASACOR)

In the indoor projects of CASACOR Minas 2026, vegetation also takes part in shaping the atmospheres. Winter gardens, planters, and plant compositions create points of respite, soften materials and volumes, and establish new relationships with light, textures, and furniture. Such is the case of the Living Room and Winter Garden, designed by architect Myrna Porcaro, in which the greenery helps bring everyday life closer to nature and reduces the separation between inside and outside.

A garden to slow down

Cynthia Silva e Kat Rosa - Raízes da Terra. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Henrique Queiroga/CASACOR)

In Roots of the Earth, a project by architect Cynthia Silva and landscape designer Kat Rosa, integrated into the deck and pergola, the landscape creates a kind of transition between the precision of the construction and the organic quality of nature. The project was conceived as a counterpoint to a daily routine marked by speed and an excess of stimuli. Instead of quickly leading the visitor through the space, the garden creates scenarios in which to linger.

It is also in this relationship that Kat finds an interpretation for the theme of the edition. "The mind grows still before the constructive precision and the solidity of the wood, while the heart is welcomed by the softness, the texture, and the breathing of nature", she explains.

Cynthia Silva e Kat Rosa - Raízes da Terra. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Henrique Queiroga/CASACOR)

The choice of species considers the architectural scale, the incidence of light, and the conditions of the place. Voluminous foliage and species with sculptural presence help define proportions and soften the boundaries between the built structure and the green area.

"Every detail was planned so that the visitor feels the embrace of the greenery, realizing that vegetation is not a mere adornment, but the living soul of the projects," says the landscape designer, who is participating in CASACOR Minas for the sixth time.

When time is also part of the project

Flávia D’Urso Paisagismo – Jardim Entretempos. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Mariana Araújo/CASACOR)

In Jardim Entretempos, Flávia D'Urso starts from an inevitable characteristic of gardens: they change. Unlike a building, which tends to preserve the form conceived in the project, vegetation grows, ages, and transforms. Instead of trying to contain this process, the landscape designer incorporates it into the design.

That is where the concept of the "intentional imperfect" is born. The choices are precise, but the result does not seek an excessively controlled nature. The intention is to create the impression of a garden that has developed over time, in which different species seem to have spontaneously found their place.

Flávia D’Urso Paisagismo – Jardim Entretempos. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Mariana Araújo/CASACOR)

The very architecture of the projects contributes to this gradual discovery. A winding path, formed by large slabs and pebbles, guides the visitor without revealing the entire garden at once. In some spots, vegetation thickens and reduces the field of vision; in others, it opens up space for seating areas, furniture, planters, and sculptural elements.

The plant composition follows the same logic. Trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, ground covers, aromatic, fruit-bearing, and flowering species form a diverse community, in which the growth and changes of the plants are part of the experience of the space.

Between silence and encounter

Nãna Guimarães - Jardim Bem-Estar. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Gustavo Xavier/CASACOR)

Nãna Guimarães explores another possibility of landscape design in this edition. At CASACOR Minas since 2013, the landscape designer presents three projects: Jardim Bem-Estar, Jardim Cores de Agnes, and Jardim do Rivo Bar.

Although they have different proposals, the three projects start from the same idea: to create spaces that provoke experiences. The first is focused on introspection; the other two, on togetherness.

Balsa Arquitetura – Agnes. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Jomar Bragança/CASACOR)

"The Jardim Bem-Estar is a refuge, almost a biophilic embrace, designed to slow down. It is introspection, silence, it is inward. The Jardim Cores de Agnes, on the other hand, is joy, encounter, it is outward," explains Nãna. "They seem opposite, but the dialogue between them is affection. While one takes care of us in silence, the other two appear in festive spaces, celebrating the encounter."

Fabíola Constantino – Cabana Wellness. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Gustavo Xavier/CASACOR)

In the Jardim Bem-Estar, which surrounds the Cabana Wellness, by Fabíola Constantino, the vegetation participates directly in building this sense of slowing down. Lavender and rosemary add aroma; peace lilies help create volumes; lighter species move with the wind.]

"Architecture creates the form, but it is the plant that creates the atmosphere", summarizes Nãna.

Fabíola Constantino – Cabana Wellness. Projeto da CASACOR Minas Gerais 2026. (Gustavo Xavier/CASACOR)

In this project, the experience is not restricted to sight. The landscape designer conceived a garden to be touched, smelled and heard, where different stimuli help change the visitor's pace. The intention, in her words, is to allow them to "let their shoulders drop and relax".

In this edition of CASACOR Minas, the gardens help define how spaces are perceived and lived. Between areas of contemplation and gathering places, between the vegetation that grows and the architecture that endures, nature becomes part of the experience, and not just its backdrop.