Last edited 13 Jan 2021

Arapiraca, Sao Paulo

In May 2017, Triptyque Architecture completed a new residential building in Vila Madalena district in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The main objective of the architects was the integration of the residential complex with its context - a neighborhood of old houses, close to bars and restaurants - to create a ‘natural dialogue’.

To achieve this, they split the complex into eight randomly-distributed blocks, each with an independent access, and positioned to give the best views and optimised ventilation and daylighting. A ninth block contains lifts and stairs, and access to metallic footbridges.

The result is a configuration of apartments allowing for privacy equivalent to independent houses. With generous terraces and a wide ceiling-height, the units vary from studio to triplex and can have a number of different layouts.

The memory of Vila Madalena appears in the choice of coatings. The predominance of projected concrete - a rough and rustic material, almost primitive, in a graphite colour - is a reference to the finish of the old buildings of the district.

History also appears in the use of ceramics, a reference to the Portuguese, the first immigrants who occupied the region. The blue and white azulejos, a tribute to the artist Athos Bulcão, cover all internal facades. Smooth and reflective, they give life to the facades while illuminating the centre of the ground.

Vegetation plays a central role in the project, whether in the plants attached to the walkways, or the ground floor, where the green density creates an ‘urban forest’ under the building.