A paradise on Lake Guaiba by Rejane Schneider

The Brazilian architect Maria Rejane Schneider, principal of the Rejane Schneider studio, has designed a house in the enchanting backdrop of Porto Alegre, Brazil. A project that, not surprisingly, goes by the name “Paradise by Guaiba River”.


“To transform a set of cold walls and objects into living and soulful environments.” This is how the architect, Maria Rejane defines the challenge of every new project.
And it is also exactly what she did with this project on Lake Guaiba. Lake Guaíba is the confluence of 5 rivers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil; it is about 50 km long and has a surface area of 496 km². Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, lies on the eastern shore of Lake Guaíba. An enchanting place, and the underlying premise to protect the environment has been put into practice in this project, where nature that has been skilfully integrated with the interiors of the house. As the architect explains, “All spaces have easy access to the external areas, creating shady and airy area, offering extreme comfort and keeping the ever-desired privacy.” 
The house is located near the lake-river, where water sports are really common. This meant specific areas were required to store a motorboat, jet ski and paddle board as well as bicycles. In the barbecue area, an absolute essential in most Gaucho houses - the homes of the famous migratory horsemen of South America, also found in the south of Brazil - a large dining table shares the large space with a snooker table, corroborating the idea that recreation is an important element through the whole project. 
The pool next to the house reflects and integrates the interiors with the natural outdoor elements.
The great freedom of creation given by the young couple who own the place was fundamental to integrate the whole project into the beautiful landscape, and it meant that Maria Rejane was able to let nature overtake the interior environments. “(...) everything was carefully developed to harmonize the built with the local landscape.”  Local wood and glass dominate and underscore the strong ties and the connection with the location, where the architect developed the project with respect for the local flora and fauna.
Still, she also incorporated contemporary elements and hid technological solutions in the details. “I proposed spaces capable of offering comfort, well-being, functionality and magic,” explains Maria Rejane, summarising her design approach with a phrase,  “The voluptuousness of the gods is the contemplation of nature.” 
And since as an architect she was given free rein to do her will, the result is a real paradise - Paradise by Guaiba Lake - as we can see in the photographs taken by the Brazilian photographer, Ricardo Braescher.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Atelier Rejane Schneider
Location: Rio Guaiba, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Year: 2017
Images: Ricardo Braescher