until 1994 the sitio roberto burle marx was the home of brazil's most acclaimed and influential landscape architect - roberto burle marx, known also for the wave-patterned tiles of the copacabana promenade.

the site is a 35-acre unesco recognized estate, under the management of the institute of historical and artistic heritage (iphan) and the ministry of culture of brazil. it is habitat to over 3,500 species of plants, considered one of the most important collections of living flora around the world.