Story

For more than 40 years, two pioneering families — the Borges and the Rippers — saw something in bamboo that few could imagine: not just a plant, but a material capable of transforming architecture, design and the way we inhabit the world.

The story begins in 1985, when José Luiz M. Ripper creates the LOPDT laboratory at PUC-Rio, dedicated to pioneering studies on bamboo. Destiny brought together those who thought alike: in 1997, at a congress in Costa Rica, Ripper and Borges meet and are introduced to Colombian architect Simón Vélez — a partner who would become recurrent on this journey.

Soon in 1998, ideas come to life with the first bamboo constructions at Hotel do Frade, and in 1999 the Borges family begins cultivating Guadua bamboo in Angra dos Reis. The new century brought new territories: the Borges family moves to Serra Grande, Bahia, and in 2004 the iconic Suspended House is born, in partnership with Simón Vélez.

In 2006, father and son Ripper build the Chapel of Andrelândia, in Minas Gerais — proof that bamboo could also be art and collective memory. The following decade was one of consolidation. In 2011, Antonio Borges designs the Casa do Frade, the first in the Tree to Home concept.

In 2017, what already existed in spirit becomes formal: Antonio Borges Filho and Lucas Ripper begin a professional partnership, uniting the two families in a new generation. The following years reap the rewards: Pousada Oko Villa in Juquehy, Casa Sete Colinas in Maraú and, in 2024, the Sushi Leblon façade — bringing this legacy to one of Rio de Janeiro's most sophisticated addresses.