“I’ve always been that kid who would rather be outside than inside,” Tom Kundig says. This explains why the Seattle-based architect of the firm Olson Kundig—an avid mountain climber—was so excited by his first commission in Brazil. His clients, a couple, wanted an intimate home, as small as possible for themselves and their dogs to enjoy a spectacular property high in the mountains of the Tijuca rainforest near Rio de Janeiro. “These clients would rather be outside, and I felt a real kinship with that agenda,” says Kundig.

board-formed concrete encloses the elevator and staircase on its west side. Photo © Maíra Acayaba, click to enlarge.