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The Nivaldo Borges Residence | 1972–1978

 

Located in the Mansões Park Way district, between the precise geometry of modernism and the open landscape of the Cerrado, stands one of Brasília’s most remarkable private residences: The House of Arches.

Designed by architect João Filgueiras Lima, widely known as Lelé, the house is distinguished by its imposing brick arches and vaults, whose warm terracotta tones contrast with the surrounding greenery. An architecture of extraordinary proportions, where structural audacity coexists with a highly personal vision of family life.

It was in this remarkable setting, where architecture and family memory intertwine, that I was warmly welcomed by Nivaldo Júnior, Alice Maria and Lucas, representatives of the family’s second generation — the first two children of Nivaldo Fonseca Borges, the original owner and custodian of the house, and the third his nephew.

Surrounded by architectural drawings, books and memories, our conversation unfolded naturally, with the house itself as our backdrop. Throughout the visit, I discovered not only the details of its construction, but also the family episodes, shared moments and personal stories that had shaped life within its walls.

The architecture, which until then I had known primarily for its scale and singularity, took on a far more intimate dimension through their accounts.

 

A Story That Begins Before the House

To understand The House of Arches, one must first get to know the man who envisioned it.

Nivaldo Fonseca Borges moved from Pernambuco to Brasília in the 1960s with his wife, Helma Esteves Fonseca, with whom he raised a large family of eight children.

A law graduate and civil servant, Nivaldo had interests that extended far beyond his professional life. Architecture, cinema, automobiles and innovation all occupied an important place in his world, revealing a curious personality, always open to new ideas.

Initially, he lacked the financial resources required to undertake a project of such magnitude. The opportunity arose with the sale of another property, finally allowing him to bring his envisioned residence to life.

What he wanted to build was not simply a house large enough to accommodate his family. Nivaldo imagined a place where they could live, welcome friends, host gatherings and pursue their passions.

It was from this vision that The House of Arches was born, designed and offered by architect Lelé, with whom Nivaldo shared a deep friendship built on mutual respect and personal affinities.

From this relationship emerged a house that could hardly have been conceived in quite the same way without the personalities of both men.

 

At The House of Arches, Everything Begins with the Structure

True to his architectural approach, Lelé conceived the residence around a system of monumental brick arches that not only support the building but also determine its spatial organisation and architectural identity.

The construction of the first arch was, in itself, a defining moment.

According to the family’s account, it was Tião, a Spanish master builder, who demonstrated the feasibility of the construction technique on site. The bricks were progressively laid from both ends, until the central piece was positioned to complete the arch.

The process demanded precision, experience and confidence in a technique that, at such a scale, was far from conventional.

Yet the construction was not simply a challenge for the professionals involved. For the Borges family, building the house became a shared experience.

“The entire family took part in building the house,” recalls Nivaldo Júnior. He was only 13 years old when, at weekends, he helped manufacture and lay the concret tiles that formed the flooring, sometimes installing around ten in a single day. Meanwhile, other family members took on different tasks, with the women helping, among other activities, to plant the lawns surrounding the house.

This is perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of its history: a residence of such extraordinary proportions, designed by one of Brazil’s most important architects, was also built with the hands of those who would eventually call it home.

Construction lasted six years. During that time, the house grew alongside the family’s memories, long before it was completed.

 

Inside The House of Arches

The entrance to the residence gives little indication of the extraordinary scale of the spaces that lie beyond.

An understated doorway leads to a reflecting pool that accompanies the entrance passage. Shortly afterwards, the architecture reveals its full scale: arches unfold one after another, ceilings rise dramatically and natural light moves through the expansive interiors.

The central axis, with a ceiling height of almost eight metres, is one of the house’s most striking features. Its height, combined with the continuity of the arches and natural ventilation, creates a spacious, airy environment designed in part to respond to Brasília’s climate.

Despite the residence’s unusual dimensions, its spatial arrangement is relatively straightforward.

A grand central corridor, illuminated by a skylight, organises two distinct wings. One contains seven bedroom suites intended for the family. The other accommodates the service and domestic areas: a sewing room, laundry, everyday dining room with a small wine cellar, pantry, kitchen, two staff bedrooms and two external bathrooms.

Between the more private quarters and the communal spaces, an interior garden introduces a pause in the architecture, offering a place for family gatherings and everyday moments.

The scale of the corridor and the height of the vaults are, at times, reminiscent of a cathedral interior. Yet the spaces arranged around it reveal a layout entirely devoted to the needs of family life.

With approximately 2,500 square metres of built area, set within a property of around 30,000 square metres, the residence occupies only a portion of its extensive grounds.

Rather than enclosing the property behind high walls, Lelé opted for discreet boundaries below eye level, allowing uninterrupted views across the landscape.

Large glazed surfaces reinforce this connection with the outdoors, while the surrounding greenery becomes a constant presence within the interiors.

It is impossible not to be impressed by the scale of The House of Arches. Yet what struck me most, after listening to the family’s stories, was discovering how naturally such a monumental residence had been inhabited.

 

A House Designed for Gathering

The House of Arches was conceived for a large family, but its history is equally connected to the many people who passed through its doors.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the residence became the setting for a vibrant social life, bringing together figures from Brasília’s political, diplomatic and cultural circles.

Nivaldo loved entertaining and cultivated an extensive network of personal relationships. Gatherings and social occasions were part of everyday life, and the house soon became a place of connection extending well beyond the family circle.

One of the most intriguing expressions of this social life was housed in a separate building adjoining the residence: a private cinema.

Cinema was one of Nivaldo’s great passions, and the possibility of watching films at home, surrounded by family and friends, had been part of the project from the outsetThe screening room, currently equipped with 72 seats, hosted weekend screenings. According to family recollections, some films were shown before reaching commercial cinemas, already adapted for Brazilian audiences.

Imagining these screenings, with guests gathered in a private cinema in 1970s Brasília, offers a glimpse into the singular way of life that unfolded there.

The same building also housed a games room overlooking the swimming pool and a workshop where Nivaldo could pursue his passion for automobiles.

Outside, the oval swimming pool, finished in blue-green tones, introduces curved lines into the landscape and establishes a dialogue with the forms of the architecture itself.

A sauna, now decommissioned, and a plant room completed the leisure facilities. Access was provided by stairways discreetly integrated into the lawn, leading down to the lower level.

The house thus brought together spaces of very different purposes, all closely connected to Nivaldo’s interests and the way he wished to live. Cinema, automobiles, social gatherings and family life were not secondary activities: they were embedded in the very conception of the residence.

 

A New Chapter for The House of Arches

Affer decades as a private family residence, The House of Arches entered a new chapter in 2014, when it began operating as an event venue.

This transition required several functional adaptations, undertaken with the intention of preserving the essential characteristics of the original architecture.

Additional bathrooms were installed, and the kitchen support area was expanded to meet the requirements of its new use.

Among the most significant interventions was the removal of a former suspended garden that no longer served its original purpose. According to the family, the operation involved removing a substantial quantity of sand, transported away in approximately 50 truckloads.

The original window structures were also replaced with more recent solutions, while seeking to respect the architectural language of the residence.

Despite these changes, the defining elements of the house remain intact: its brick arches, spatial organisation, natural light and direct relationship with the surrounding landscape.

There is something particularly fitting about the fact that a house originally conceived to bring family and friends together should, decades later, find a new purpose centred once again on bringing people together.

 

An Architecture That Holds Stories

The House of Arches occupies a distinctive place in Brasília’s residential architecture, not only because of its scale or the originality of Lelé’s design, but also because of the circumstances that gave rise to it.

It was conceived around one man’s passions, designed by a close friend and built over six years with the participation of the family itself.

Throughout my visit, the stories shared by Nivaldo Júnior, Alice Maria and Lucas allowed me to see the house in an entirely different light. Its spaces ceased to be merely elements of an architectural project and became places associated with people, events and tangible memories.

The workshop, the cinema, the interior garden and the cement tiles laid by a 13-year-old boy acquired a meaning that no architectural drawing could ever fully convey.

It is this human dimension that makes The House of Arches especially fascinating. Lelé’s architecture endures, but so do the stories of a family who helped build the house and brought it to life for decades.

And it was precisely this other side of the house that I had the privilege of discovering.

 

 

Text and visit: Design Désir

Featuring the accounts of Nivaldo Júnior, Alice Maria and Lucas.