Adaptive Settlements
Rio de Janeiro_Brazil
Interdependent Thinking
Gondwana Link rewilding_Australia
Sadhana Forest rewilding_India + Kenya
White Gum Valley development_Australia
Self-building Technologies
Rio de Janerio, 2012–2016
I was fortunate to live in the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ when it was preparing to host the World Cup and Olympic Games. When not exploring the city’s polar-extreme communities, restoring a Sergio Bernades + Roberto Burle Marx designed residence, garden and furnishings was the focus of my energy and time.
Built surrounding a large granite boulder at its heart, the house was sited on a granite mountain side, overlooking the ocean, immersed in the Tijuca Forest. Around the mountain, located approx. 2kms north-east through the forest is Rocinha, the largest favela in Brazil.
When these worlds collided, the privilege I’d experienced living in this unique place reinforced three beliefs; first, growing inequities in wealth undermine societies; second, taller walls are not a solution; and third, the unmatched healing energy of being immersed and grounded in nature.
