Developed through the AA Visiting School Amazon and hosted in Alter do Chão, Pará, this project was led by Marko Brajovic and Nacho Marti, with coordination by Penelope Casalderey and Camila Calegari. The workshop brought together participants from Brazil, China, the UK, India, Colombia, and Russia in a hands-on, site-specific exploration of architecture, ecology, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Rooted in the context of Escola da Floresta—an educational charitable initiative serving hundreds of local children—the design process emerged from situated learning: lectures under trees, fieldwork with local communities, and collaborative construction. The act of building became a convivial mode of engagement, enabling mutual exchange, shared labour, and the embodied transfer of knowledge.
The final outcome was a hyperbolic paraboloid pavilion composed of twelve bundled curuá fibre arches forming a lightweight double-curved structure. Braced and clad with palm leaves, the envelope provides shading, ventilation, and rain protection while maintaining permeability and tactile connection to its environment. Oriented toward an underground freshwater stream, the pavilion harnesses evapotranspiration and prevailing breezes to generate a naturally cooled microclimate. Designed and built with the guidance of master builders Jacú and Gregg Borari, the project embodies a digital vernacular approach—leveraging computational methods to enhance local material intelligence, ancestral techniques, and climatic responsiveness. As part of a wider spatial strategy for Escola da Floresta, Fibre Pavilion exemplifies a model of design as cultural action—ecologically attuned, materially grounded, and socially engaged
Photo by Bruno Ferrucio
Photo by Bruno Ferrucio
Photo by Bruno Ferrucio
Photo by Bruno Ferrucio
Photo by Daniel Gutierrez Govino
Photo by Bruno Ferrucio
Parametric modelling by Camila Calegari Marques
Drawing by Camila Calegari Marques