Tour Casa Monoculo in Brazil

(Image credit: Joana França)

published 4 August 2023

Offering its own twist on the concept of treetop living, Casa Monoculo is a contemporary Brazilian home raised above a densely wooded area of Eldorado, a neighbourhood of Alto Paraiso City. The brainchild of Brasília-based architect Alan Chu, this is a treehouse, but not as you know it; it’s also as expansive and modern as the finest villas, making the most of its setting, views and scale in one fell swoop.

Casa Monoculo: life above the treetops

Working with unusual conditions – the plot is near the city centre, but at the same time is engulfed in greenery and preserved Cerrado vegetation – Chu opted for a sensitive approach. His plan was to elevate the structure from the ground, to avoid disturbing the existing nature and cutting trees down. As a result, not only does the house, set on 12 black metal pillars five metres above ground, touch lightly on the forest floor, but it also offers its lucky residents long vistas of the city, the sunrise, and the mountains in the distance.

Casa Monoculo living space spilling into terrace

Named after the traditional monocle (translating to 'monóculo' in Portuguese), the home was designed to frame experiences, capture and magnify its inspiring environment through its privileged and unconventional set-up. A winding staircase guides visitors from the ground to the house above, ensuring everyone connects to the surroundings on the journey up.

'The Monóculo house has been designed to not only leave an everlasting memory of the view but to have provided its guests with a unique and unforgettable experience,' Chu concludes, in a written statement.

Casa Monoculo looking towards the terrace

chu.arq.br

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

Casa Monoculo: life above the treetops

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