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Architects: NNArq
- Area: 58125 ft²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Eduardo Macarios
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Lead Architects: Beatriz Froes Nachtergaele, Baldomero Navarro
Text description provided by the architects. Located in Curitiba, a city renowned for its urban quality, this project stands out in a neighborhood full of isolated houses, large gardens, and tree-lined streets. For many years, the site housed a substation for a metallurgical company that operated there until the increase in population density made industrial activity incompatible with the surroundings.
The developer who acquired the land proposed a nationwide competition to select the architectural solution for its first development. This innovative approach in the Brazilian real estate market aimed to broaden the options evaluated and guarantee the architectural quality of the project. Given that the site is located on a corner in a picturesque, tree-lined neighborhood, the solution chosen sought to open up all the units to the street. In this way, the neighborhood is integrated into the private life of the units and, conversely, the different situations of each unit enliven the urban landscape, enriching it with diversity.
The 52 units, ranging from 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms, have private programs arranged in strips parallel to the streets (balconies, long-term living spaces, and short-term living spaces), providing considerable internal flexibility. Due to the non-orthogonality of the corner, the units have slight variations in layout and adaptations to the developer's request, also resulting in some volumetric variations on the façade facing Rua Pará.
About the organization of the common areas, the garage floor is partially excavated, creating an interior garden that offers a feeling of bright, open space. On the first floor, the elevator access has a small library focused on urbanism and architecture and also houses a co-working space, strategically positioned at the crossroads, thus integrating work activities into the daily life of the neighborhood and facilitating access for employees and visitors.
At the top of the building are the communal leisure areas, including a large lounge for events and meetings, a children's play area, a communal laundry room, and, taking advantage of the views of the city center and the sunset, an elevated square with a garden. Two penthouse units also enjoy small private gardens at the ends of the floor.
An essential part of the building's relationship with its surroundings is the landscaping, which on the ground floor features dense tree planting, mainly with native species. This vegetation softens the connection between the private areas and their surroundings, especially on the lower floors, preserving the presence of greenery in the neighborhood, a common feature in the old houses that are gradually being replaced by verticalization.
The concrete structure is kept apparent, with plywood forms on the slabs and beams, and rough boards on the walls. The horizontal circulations are closed off with translucent tiles, allowing people to be seen from outside the building and providing plenty of natural light, which is particularly important in Curitiba, a city known for its many rainy days. On the street-facing façades, the technical areas receive tiles with a similar profile but made from perforated sheets.
On the roof deck, the landscaping proposed an installation using the glass insulators from the old deactivated substation, a small reminder of the activity that once existed there.
