Architects: Candida Tabet Arquitetura
Area: 7000 m²
Year: 2006
Photographs: Tuca Reinés
Foundation Project: Apoio
AC: CBPA Projetos Ambientais Ltda.
Geotechnics Engineering: Engesolo Engenharia Ltda
Structure: Pasqua & Graziano Associados
MEP: Tesis – Tecnologia de Sistemas
Wooden Structure Project: Orbital Engenharia e Construções
Kitchen: EquipoMaster
Interior Decoration: Fernanda Ralston, Adelia Borges
Light Design: Esther Stiller
Site Area: 80.000 m²
Project Date: 2006
Architect In Charge: Candida Tabet Arquitetura, Oliver Gohan
Interior Decoration: Fernanda Ralston / Adelia Borges
Light Design: Esther Stiller
City: São Carlos
Country: Brazil
Botanique Hotel & Spa, designed by Candida Tabet Arquitetura, is located in the Mantiqueira Mountains in southeastern Brazil. The project encompasses a main building with six rooms, a restaurant, and a spa, along with eleven villas. The design integrates the client’s collection of reclaimed wood and aims to harmonize with the surrounding mid-tropical Atlantic forest. The architecture features pitched roofs, a monumental glass facade, and the use of local stone and wood, creating a unique blend of traditional and contemporary elements. The villas are positioned to respect the natural topography, with the green of the forest complementing the earthy tones of the building materials.
Botanique Hotel & Spa is nestled in a confluence of three rich river valleys amid picturesque hillsides and stunning ridges in the heart of the Mantiqueira Mountains, southeast of Brazil. Surrounded by lush mid-tropical Atlantic forests, it is situated 1,200 meters above sea level.
The process started with an analysis of the surrounding built environment. In the nearby main town, many private houses from the 19th century reflect a Normand style, despite being in Brazil. The challenge was to address this local “European borrowed” architectural style and introduce a contemporary appeal while maintaining authenticity.
Conversely, the entire design of the complex was centered on seamlessly integrating the owner’s collection of reclaimed wood with the natural surroundings. The client devoted many years to salvaging and gathering rare and beautiful wood elements, such as beams, columns, and parquet flooring, from various demolition sites, intending to repurpose them into the buildings of this project. Over 250 cubic meters of these old wooden pieces, some dating back more than 120 years, were reused for floors, doors, and structural elements, showcasing the remarkable durability of wood as a construction material.
Botanique’s architecture offers the unique experience of a wooden construction situated within the very forest that provides its raw material.
The complex includes a main building with six rooms, a restaurant, and a spa. Eleven villas, detached from the main structure, are designed with interconnected views, bedrooms, fireplaces, and charming bathrooms, ensuring a seamless continuity of experiences.
The design of the main building centered on harmonizing pitched roofs that float above a monumental glass facade, creating playful asymmetries and blending vernacular materials like local stone and wood. A distinctive style emerged from the combination of large stone volumes, a towering glass facade, chocolate-colored slate, and old reclaimed wood pillars and beams.
The beauty of the rough wood with its visible screwed junctions was intentionally highlighted, transforming it from a mere structural element into a key aesthetic feature of the building and its interior architecture. Collaborating with specialized wood engineering consultants to address the complexities of the wooden structure led to technical and ingenious solutions. This process not only resolved structural challenges but also enriched the project’s overall aesthetics.
In designing the villas, the goal was to maximize the potential of each unique site, creating distinct plans while maintaining a common identity. The villas were strategically positioned to ensure accessibility and to preserve the site’s natural topography.
The enormous stones enhanced the warmth when combined with the wood, maintaining a calm color palette of yellow nuances. The green of the surrounding forest was the only contrasting color, set against the natural yellowish stone and wood tones of the building. The lightness and transparency of the monumental glass facade allowed this green backdrop to seamlessly integrate with the interior design, complementing both the inside and the exterior views beautifully.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Rua Elídio Gonçalves da Silva, 4000, Bairro dos Mellos, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, 12471-052, Brazil
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
