SOLO Luminosa / CONTRA Arquitetura

Architects: CONTRA Arquitetura
Area: 140 m² (1,507 ft²)
Year: 2023
Photography: Rafael Visentainer, Vitor Hugo
Lead Architects: Candice Ames, Luísi Fajardo
Team: Laís Porcino, Mayara Gessie, Alessandra Damasceno, Luca Ames
Construction Team: Marquinhos
Program: Cabin with 2 suites, mezzanine, powder room, integrated living room and kitchen, deck, and hot tub
City: Luminosa
Country: Brazil

Solo Luminosa, a cabin designed by CONTRA Arquitetura in Luminosa, Brazil, represents the first initiative by SOLO, a nature-based accommodation chain. This project integrates remote nature with bio-contemporary architecture, featuring a semi-buried structure amidst an olive grove and the pristine views of Serra da Mantiqueira. The design reinterprets local building traditions through bioconstruction, contemporary design, and sustainable technologies. It prioritizes natural materials like earth, stone, and various types of wood, each chosen to enhance the cabin’s integration with its surroundings.

Solo Luminosa stands as SOLO’s inaugural project, setting a precedent with its commitment to bio-contemporary architecture. Positioned in the quaint town of Luminosa within Serra da Mantiqueira, the 140m² cabin is strategically semi-buried between an olive grove and expansive mountain views.

Bio-contemporary Architecture is an innovative approach by Solo, aiming to harmonize the cabins with the landscape through local construction methods, bioconstruction, contemporary design, and sustainable technologies.

Materials utilized in the construction include earth, stone, and wood in various forms and finishes. The structure is supported by eucalyptus logs and a rammed earth wall that mimics the mountainous terrain of Serra da Mantiqueira. A significant architectural feature is a 7m high and 50cm thick rammed earth wall, sourced directly from the site, which partitions the cabin into areas including a double-height living room and two double suites.

Different types of wood are employed throughout the cabin, such as carbonized, itaúba, cumaru, and eucalyptus, used in flooring, walls, ceilings, and custom-designed furniture.

Rough and unjointed wild stone sourced locally covers a structural wall extending the full length of the cabin, from the mezzanine down to an underground restroom, accessed via a tunnel made of loose rocks that allows sunlight to filter through.

One of the cabin’s defining architectural traits is its seamless integration with nature, seeking to erase the boundaries between built spaces and the natural environment while camouflaging the structure within the wild landscape.

The facade features carbonized wood which conceals part of the cabin behind the hillside, with a strategically placed window seat offering views of the mountains and admitting morning sunlight. Conversely, the opposite facade is fully glazed, facing the mountain sunset and opening the house like a vast veranda.

In every aspect of the design, from architecture to furniture and decor, the architects play an active role in ensuring each element reflects Solo’s identity.

Custom-designed items fill every corner of the house, supplemented by carefully selected thrift items from across Brazil and globally, showcasing antique taps, brass decor, and vintage designer furniture.