Residential Architecture and Nature: 16 Houses That Integrate Brazilian Biomes

Written by Giovana Martino | Translated by Diogo Simões
Published on November 27, 2022

Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, covering an area that goes from the Equator to beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, presenting a wide variety of climates and vegetation, which implies in the diverse natural landscape, flora and fauna for which the country is known. Residential architecture, when considered from its location, must adapt to the conditions of the surroundings, transforming its design according to the climate and morphology. We have gathered below a selection of Brazilian houses that respond to the natural environment in which they are located.

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Aziz Ab’Saber, one of the most renowned Brazilian geographers, mapped and studied the national territory, transforming the understanding of its natural features. His research recognizes six major landscape and macroecological domains, known as morphoclimatic domains, which are environments with relief characteristics, soil types, vegetation and specific climatic-hydrological conditions. Between the domains there are transition bands.

The six morphoclimatic domains are: the Amazonian, which occupies almost the entire northern region and part of Maranhão; the Cerrados, in the central-west region of Brazil, a part of Maranhão and also of Minas Gerais; the Seas of Hills, which is the domain that goes from the north to the south coast of the country, concentrated more towards the coast; the Caatinga, a domain that appears in the northeastern states, with the exception of Maranhão; Araucaria, which is concentrated in the interior of the southern region; and the Prairies that are concentrated in Rio Grande do Sul. At the same time, the transition strips also occupy a large part of the national territory, cutting through states such as Minas Gerais, for example, or even covering the entire Pantanal region in the center-west.

Each domain presents climate, soil and vegetation features that shape the landscape and also impact on the architectural design. For areas with higher precipitation rates, such as the Amazonian and Seas of Hills, houses need to be prepared to deal with high humidity and also with torrential rains, while in drier climates, such as the Caatinga and the Cerrado, projects need to create passive cooling devices. At the same time, even when they belong to the same domain, there are also internal differences depending on the specificity of each region, which can impact on different climatic characteristics.