Terracotta Dream: Dois Tropicos Sao Paulo by MNMA Studio

MNMA Studio’s Dois Trópicos in São Paulo, Brazil has been crafted by artisan’s hands using rough imperfect natural materials, bringing a homelike familiarity to a commercial space. Dois Trópicos cannot be easily defined by its form or its function, architects instead explaining their project as a series of sensations, “from the ephemeral to the permanent”.

The project is designed as a hybrid space – “a place that integrates gastronomy, the practice of yoga and botany, where people can feel in every way the importance of spending time to take care of themselves, slowly and with pleasure,” explain MNMA Studio. The use of natural materials and muted colours make for a relaxing environment that encourages visitors to slow down.

The project unfolds as a series of sculptural spaces as if the monolithic forms and softly curving stairwell had been hand-carved from clay. The material coating the walls and ceiling is created when the earth is cooked into the bricks, the process bringing subtle colours to the otherwise neutral base.

“It expands our senses, bringing texture, tone gradation, and detail to the delicate gesture of the spaces, even inviting us to pause to smell the wet earth when it rains,” explains MNMA Studio.

Dusty terracotta bricks lay like a carpet on the ground before they wind up the curving bench counter. The resulting mosaic of muted orange tones mirrors the earthy, organically shaped ceramics that line the shelf behind it. The space, despite its restrained simplicity, is complex in the way materials subtly engage in conversation together – similar tones creating a soothing tonal rhythm.

Geometric shapes sit alongside gentle organic curves and perfect circles. The junction of the two different languages brings boundless visual interest. The circular doorway invites nature directly into the space, blurring the boundary between the exterior and interior.

The building sits as an extension of the natural environment around it – a continuation of the soil lying beneath it.

Spaces are gestural and imperfect, creating a welcoming intimacy – as if the walls are wrapping protectively around occupants. By contrast, the outer skin is technical and precise, standing with a contemporary almost industrial voice. Its semi-transparent form allows sunlight and air to circulate throughout the space, negating the need for artificial air-conditioning. The contrast between the earthy, hand-crafted interior and contemporary façade generates a dynamic tension that captures and holds our attention.

Dois Trópicos turns to nostalgia and natural matter as a way of achieving a real environment, rather than seeking perfection.

Those who come inside are invited to indulge in a sensory, soothing experience, rather than simply marvel at the building’s beauty. Although you can defiantly do that too!!