“Imagine a home that defies convention.” That’s Casa de Pedra. It stands as a testament to one man’s vision. Estevão Silva da Conceição spent over 30 years building this unique house.
Casa de Pedra is located in Paraisópolis. It is the city’s second-largest favela. Estevão worked as a janitor and part-time gardener. He dedicated his free time to expanding his house.
The house is strikingly reminiscent of Antoni Gaudí’s architectural work. Estevão did not have formal education. Until recently, he had never heard of Gaudí. He says the house is not Gaudí-inspired. After visiting Spain and seeing Gaudí’s work, he agreed the resemblance is real.
An architecture student discovered Casa de Pedra by chance. The student happened to walk past it. Since then, it has attracted many visitors. People are curious to see its tile mosaic surfaces. They want to walk through its maze-like corridors filled with various objects.
Estevão was born in Santo Estevão in Bahia. He only attended school through fourth grade. At 19, he moved to São Paulo. He worked as a bricklayer and then as a gardener. He even worked in a luxury condominium. His own home, Casa de Pedra, is conceptually different.
Construction began slowly in 1985. Estevão had no grand plan. He started by planting a rose bush. It flourished so beautifully. He began transforming two little shacks around the roses. He did not want to impede their growth. He planted more bushes. His constructions contained no straight lines or walls.
Estevão initially used a wooden infrastructure. He later replaced it with iron for greater strength. He wanted to hang planters. He began to form low structural arches. He used a mason’s shovel and a bucket. He layered concrete mortar over a wire infrastructure. He ornamented them with thousands of found objects. Over 500 planters of flowers and plants now hang there.
The ornamentation includes cast-off industrial detritus. There are telephones and security cameras. Cell phones have lost their function. They were utilized for their formalist values. Doll’s heads and bottle caps are also part of the design. You can also spot broken tiles, ceramics, and rocks. Plastic jewelry, watches, clocks, glass beads, and marbles are all incorporated. Estevão buys or trades some materials. He sometimes finds them on the street or in dumps. He continues to change the decoration daily.
Casa de Pedra sits on a property of about 75 square meters. Rooms are small. Ceilings are low and arched. Corridors are narrow. Estevão, his wife Edilene Souza Conceição, and their two children enjoy living there. Aluminum ladders provide access to the upper levels. The building reaches about 8 meters tall. On the rooftop, sculptures from trunks and branches weave among over fifty species of plants. The rooftop garden offers panoramic views of the favela. About 70000 residents call it home.
Estevão is now known as the Brazilian Gaudí. He had not been aware of Gaudí’s work. A Brazilian documentary filmmaker took him to Barcelona in 2001. The Fundação Gaudí supported the trip. It completely surprised him. A documentary was completed. A book was published on his work in 2007.
Casa de Pedra is open for public viewing for a modest fee.
Casa de Pedra stands as a reminder. Creativity can blossom in the most unexpected places. Estevão’s dedication transformed simple materials into an extraordinary home.