The great expeditions to the Amazon are part of the historical, iconographic and poetic imaginary in Brazil and the world. The dream of getting to know and connecting with the richness of the Amazon's natural and cultural wisdom transforms the tourist into a new character: the “avant-tourist”. The Amazon’s tourist of the future, curious and researcher of beauty and subtlety in the connection with nature. In a new vision of adventure, intelligent and innovative in respecting and valuing the cultural and natural context of the region.

The place that will receive this new type of customer needs an unprecedented project of multi-sensory architecture integrated with the natural and cultural surroundings. Developed by Atelier Marko Brajovic, The Mirante do Madadá is located in Negro River shores and proposes an immersion into forest and its richness of interconnections through an unprecedented experience in the Amazon.

“Landing” a new human artifact into the forest needs to be gentle and subtle, creating a new symbiotic relationship. The symbolic and morphological gesture of this project, as the word itself suggests, is that of “planting seeds”. Seeds condense all the strength and information of a future plant. Likewise, they symbolize the prosperity of life and the magic of germination at the right time. Mirante do Madadá is inspired by the metaphorical meaning and structural intelligence of seeds and their cocoons, offering solutions based on Nature's design.

The architectural intervention is presented as light structures, visually permeable and comfortable. An immersive architectural organism to connect the visitor's internal nature with the Amazon’s ecosystem. Fluidity as the essence of the project articulates opportunities for discovery, exchange, reflection, relationship, creation, meditation and healing. The design decisions of Mirante do Madadá are inspired by natural and cultural elements of the region, interconnected with each other, weaving signs and meanings, textures and materials, perceptions and paths.

The “seed” architectures that make up the Madadá complex are organized in the territory organically. Each space is built according to the land's morphological characteristics and respecting the local vegetation.

In addition to the cocoons of the residences, upon arrival we find the Collective House, the largest of the buildings, which connects and articulates the flow of the entire complex by distributing the visitors' program among access, reception, concierge, bar, restaurant, services, lounge, bonfires, exhibition spaces and the swimming pool. The house where everyone meets to socialize, interact, inform, have fun, feed the body and spirit through services that integrate leisure and well-being. The great seed opens to the river to enjoy the sunrise, and to the other side to connect with the depths of the forest. The perception of climate, movement and the times of nature organizes the internal program in a narrative way, creating thematic areas for each moment of the day and night.

The metaphor of seeds is expressed as the experience and the morphological purpose of the project throughout the entire space of Mirante do Madadá. In nature, we find several species of seeds and those that contain others and others fascinate, in an abundance and layers of penetration into the essence of life, which creates conditions for life. In Negro River, we have many cultural seeds, true gems that are manifested in traditional cultures in artefacts, music, stories, cosmovisions, ways of producing food… a priceless universe distributed in a capillary way around Negro River’s waters. It is these seeds of the culture of the Negro River that we want to exhibit in our central installation, which are found in the Collective House, in the form of images, artifacts and stories, in a multisensory and immersive space.

The relations of the architectural modules in the topographic territory, as well as in each architecture, meticulously balance the relationships between open and closed spaces, surfaces and sealing, interior and exterior. These relationships enhance a physical and spiritual experience of interaction with ourselves and the place. The walls are membranes connecting to the natural surroundings in PVC canvas tensioned over metal structures with fittings for double pairs in wooden panels, dry internal structure and sealing, hand-woven panels made of different natural fibers for finishing.

Finally, the walkways that wind through the forest, safely connecting and distributing the paths between all spaces, also lead us to the furthest point in the forest: the Healing House. This architecture was inspired by the morphology of the Vitoria Regia flower, its magic to change color during a night of pollination and its mythological importance to the ancestral cultures of the Amazon. A place for yoga practices, forest medicine ceremonies, meetings with regional indigenous representatives or simply a space for a massage and Ayurvedic bath. Our body is our healing house and this space provides this natural metamorphosis.

The Mirante do Madadá project is part of Atelier Marko Brajovic's expographic project Amphibious: Living Between Water and Land in the Amazon. This installation by Atelier Marko Brajovic was conceived based on the theme How are we going to live together? proposed by architect and academic Hashim Sarkis, general curator of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, and is presented at the Central Pavilion (Giardini) from May 22nd to November 21st 2021.

The Mirante do Madadá project is part of Atelier Marko Brajovic's expographic project Amphibious: Living Between Water and Land in the Amazon. This installation by Atelier Marko Brajovic was conceived based on the theme How are we going to live together? proposed by architect and academic Hashim Sarkis, general curator of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, and is presented at the Central Pavilion (Giardini) from May 22nd to November 21st 2021.

Project Author:

Atelier Marko Brajovic

Realization:
Mirante do Gavião - Amazon Lodges

Format:

Hotel Boutique / Glamping

Project Year:

2020-2021

Project Team:

Marko Brajovic - Creative Director

Bruno Bezerra - Project Director

Adalberto de Paula - Architect

Lucas Bio - Architect

May Shinzato - Architect

Arthur Campos - Architect

Barbara Helena Morais - Graphic Design

Paula Thyse - Production