Set in the rain forest right outside of San Salvador, Brazil, architect Jose Roberto Paredes built his dream modern home - Casa Tuscania -  for himself, his wife and their two daughters (shown above).

Recently, he gave a first person narrative about it in Dwell Magazine.  Here are some highlights:

(Note: Take a look at how those windows completely open up to the yard and the forest. Yep, that’s a dream home.)

From the architect via Dwell:

I never imagined that I would live in a house like Casa Tuscania. In fact, it wasn’t until I saw it for the first time, in the light of the morning, that I realized it was my dream house….We have broken down walls, literally and figuratively, to create the Swiss Family Robinson–like tree house we call home. It’s pretty isolated here, outside of San Salvador, and those factors were important in deciding where to build and how to raise our two daughters, Pilar, 15, and Jimena, 4, in a natural environment.

We wanted it to be cozy but open, making sure every room used its space wisely. Few walls separate the rooms and our dining table doubles as a homework desk and venue for Scrabble games. We did something strange and installed a bathtub right in Jimena’s bedroom. She loves splashing around in there and would spend hours on end in it if she could.

Throughout the house I used concrete for its cooling quality and easy maintenance. It works well in San Salvador’s sun-drenched climate….We didn’t want to sacrifice the sensation of being in a warm home for having all concrete walls, which is why we lined one of the walls with polycarbonate sheets. I’ve always found materials much more interesting than colors, and therefore I wanted to use wood, concrete, glass, and the polycarbonate, which offers us a bit of privacy and filters the light.

With all the open doors we often get asked if we have trouble with bugs. I usually say that although we get the occasional visitor, only every now and again do dangerous forest friends, like venomous snakes, actually find their way in. It’s a minor drawback to living in a tree house on the ground, but I don’t think they like it as much as we do in here—–there aren’t too many walls or hiding spaces.

What a great idea to create an exterior chalkboard wall. It serves as an ever-changing greeter to mark who lives at the residence, and any other thoughts the residents would like to share with the world. That’s great Feng Shui.

For the complete article visit Dwell.