by Isabel Duprat

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On a farm in the region of the lakes in upstate Rio de Janeiro, the challenge was to devise comfortable access from the house to the lagoon shoreline along with a garden that enabled such integration.

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The high salinity rate conjugated with strong, incessant winds limited the use of plant species quite a lot. I wanted to leave the beautiful indigenous cacti that populate the slopes intact, reigning absolute in their habitat.

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The stairway was then thought of as a place to enjoy the beautiful sight of the sunset ahead. Large winding lines talking to the water worked as terracing, just like on rice plantations.

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The sunlight variations, penetrating the levels at different times of the day, create different outlines of light and shades, altering our perception of how the curves are designed.

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The rocks that support the levels and the grass, the only elements used, show us through their simplicity the power and the organicity of these land forms.