AH APT

In this duplex apartment in São Paulo, the renovation and interior design sought strategies that would unite the social spaces and visually connect them to the upper floor. The living room has walls covered in wood panels and marble floors, creating a base with natural materials that receive iconic pieces of modern Brazilian design, responsible for the sectorization of each one of the spaces.

In the center, the living room is composed of the Dinamarquesa armchairs and Onda bench by Jorge Zalszupin, in harmony with the decorative pieces found in antique shops. Above this space, an opening in the slab of the first floor provides double height and strategic views from the bedrooms, protected by pivoting metal brises soleil.

On the left side, the living room seats up to eight people in Layla chairs by Carlos Motta, and on the table the copper-finished Jabuticaba pendant by the designer Ana Neute. Meanwhile, in the opposite portion, a second more intimate living room receives a curved sofa in composition with Noguchi coffee table by Isamu Noguchi. It is worth noting that other bought pieces in antique shops are distributed over the surface of the walls and floor.

Covered in the same stone and wood as the ground floor, the stairs and walls also receive artworks. On the walkway that connects the two wings of the second floor, the opening in the slab, in turn, provides an opportunity for a projection without direct access and a vertical closure in glass, as a base for sculptures. At the ends are the master suite, son and guest suites.

LUIZ STUDIO

Located in Rio de Janeiro city, the renovation project for this townhouse was designed to a multimedia artist’s studio on the ground floor and his apartment on the first floor. The process, in turn, was developed in partnership with the client, using the original architecture as a blank canvas for artistic interventions. In this sense, the facades received a grid from the superimposition of wooden slats directly attached to the masonry, which were painted in a rich color palette by the artist, who also plays the role of brise soleil and, in the future, a support structure for the growth of the vegetation.

The project kept the house’s original lateral setbacks, and the access to the studio is made on the south side, approximately two meters wide, and suitable for the inflow and outflow of materials and artworks. On the opposite side, one meter wide, there is direct access to the apartment via a staircase. In the back, a deck and garden with tropical species designed in partnership with Semear Paisagismo e Jardinagem.

The entire interior was remodeled from the subtraction of vertical planes that allowed the free plan of the main hall with double height. The studio’s open plan is fragmented with a C-shaped design, so that the central core accommodates the artist’s office, closed by colored pivoting doors on both sides, with access to the two creative wings (front “dry” area and back studio), which may or not be integrated. This last space is open to the garden and is provided with abundant natural light, coming from the large glass doors and skylight. In the circulation space between the two areas are the bathroom, storage and stairwell. The pantry is integrated into the studio and has a side concrete bench.

On the upper floor, the apartment has an integrated space with a living room, dining room and kitchen, open to the empty double height and which can be closed by three sheets of glass; and two bedrooms – one single over the office projection, and the master suite facing the street. The entire residence has herringbone wood flooring, concrete countertops and light wood joinery (the latter two, as on the lower floor).

On the terrace, the space at the height of the treetops, is accessed by a glass trapdoor – responsible for the zenithal lighting of the stairs – used as a leisure space.

BP HOUSE

Located in São Paulo, in Morumbi neighborhood. The BP House has approximately 1000sqm spread over three floors. It is an urban house located on the border with a park. The land is very wooded, so the house itself appears to be located in a park. In the basement, the garage, technical area and service facilities are located. On the ground floor are the four suites for the children, guest suite and a service center with laundry and bedroom. On the upper floor are the main room, the master suite, the kitchen and the outdoor area with garden and pool.

The customer couple wanted a home for their family. In addition to the master suite, five suites were required, one for each of the four children and one for guests. It was also very important that the project included an outdoor area for leisure with a swimming pool and landscaped treatment with intense afforestation. The whole family is very close to nature and sports, so the presence of green and open spaces was essential.

The house privileges the visual permeability guaranteed by the use of large glass panels that reveal the treetops present both in front of the house and in the forest created at the back of the land, next to the pool. The main room is integrated into a large garden with a swimming pool that also has direct access from the master suite’s balcony. The integration between the living room and the leisure area allows this place to be the meeting point for all residents. The house has a mixed structure. Main concrete structure and cover in metallic structure. Wood is a very present material, whether in ceilings and furniture. The glass of the frames allows the green present in the surroundings of the house to be visible from the inside.

JOSE IGNACIO HOTEL

The Hotel Jose Ignacio project became an interesting and welcome challenge for Bernardes Arquitetura, due its unique functions and conditions. It was a great opportunity to design a hotel located in specific climate site with absence of main urban elements that would indicate restrictions and directions for the hotel orientation.

The preliminary concept was based in studies of the climate, the land as well the adequate distribution of the required scope. The main Northwest-Southeast circulation axis was chosen respecting the main characteristics of the site: the wind paths, the quality of exposed sunlight, the existing vegetation as well the best views, having minimum impact on the soil. The choice for a horizontal distribution of the architectural requirements is key to the project concept creating two levels of circulations that are dynamic and poetic, passing from solid volumes to voids, from cast shadows to light. The pleasant circulation experience will also be enriched by architectural and landscaping elements.

The architectural components are distributed in eight skewed volumes, elevated from the soil and connected through the main NW- SE main axis. The main center building accommodates the common areas: reception, two levels of restaurant, bar and lounge and the core of the hotel back of house. The remaining volumes hold 17 guestrooms. The ground floor rooms have direct access to the site through a covered circulation integrated to the landscape, whereas the upper guestrooms, accessible from the suspended deck, have views to the sunrise and sunset.

The non-parallelism of the architectural components gives the impression that the various volumes are floating and accommodated naturally on the land, shifted by the wind and respecting the nuances of the land.

FAZENDA BOA VISTA RESERVE

ANIBAL BUILDING

The Anibal Building houses the headquarters of three companies distributed in three open plan floors. Ground floor and roof are spaces shared by all users.
The facade is composed of different layers that filter light and sound. The outer one consists of a perforated aluminum structure that covers the upper work floors, followed by landscaping and, finally, special soundproof windows.
Workspaces occupy areas free of structural interference – open plans were made possible by the use of ribbed concrete slabs supported by peripheral columns. Building installations and vertical circulation are located around the perimeter of the building.
The complete occupation of the site by the building has brought the challenge of ensuring adequate lighting for its interior, which is solved through the library, which functions as a large-scale skylight. Glass partitions and floors turn the library into a kind of lighting pit, which distributes daylight across all floors while filtering out unwanted radiation.

Watch the video produced by the Galeria da Arquitetura portal.