A canopy shaped for tropical living
Conceived as a rental home, Cimatella 1 occupies a compact triangular platform on a hillside overlooking the tropical landscape. When the project began, the property was largely bare, with two platforms already formed by earlier earthworks.
The design brought architecture and reforestation together, making the most of the available footprint while seeking to reconnect the house with the contours and vegetation of its surroundings.
Recreating the canopy
Three curved, planted roof sections rise in a stepped arrangement. Their changing heights create generous volumes beneath the canopy, encourage air circulation and establish a gradual roofline that recalls the natural shape of the hillside.
Connecting this canopy to the rest of the house was a central design challenge. The supporting columns were conceived as branching elements, evoking trunks and limbs holding up a tree’s crown. Structure and architectural expression were developed together, giving the roof a visual relationship with the landscape being restored around it.
Two modules, an open heart
The house is organised into two modules. One contains a bedroom, bathroom and balcony; the other combines a bedroom, bathroom and balcony with the kitchen. Both bedrooms enjoy lateral views towards the tropical forest.
Between them, an open living area brings together the terrace, lounge and swimming pool. The interlocking arrangement creates a sequence of shared spaces and sheltered corners, balancing openness with opportunities to retreat.
This organisation makes careful use of the limited triangular platform, directing views towards nature while giving each part of the home its own character.
Living with the breeze
Natural cross-ventilation is central to the experience of the house. Air moves freely through the open living spaces, supported by the stepped roof volumes and ventilated double-roof arrangement.
Only the bedrooms are enclosed and air-conditioned. Daily life unfolds largely outdoors, beneath the protective canopy, in close contact with the breeze, the garden and the surrounding views.
The beginning of a shared landscape
Cimatella 1 was the first of two homes developed for the same client on this property. Completed six years later, Cimatella 2 continues the relationship between architecture and the reforested site through a distinct response to its own setting.
