zoom injects fluidity + materiality into apartment in são paulo

in order to redistribute the space within this 150 sq.m apartment in são paulo, brazil, architecture and urban design studio zoom has brought down much of the existing inner walls to attend to the new inhabitants’ needs. the demolition has highlighted the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling this now wide and integrated space with natural lighting.

zoom apartamento pamplona: wide living room with a luminosity coming from floor-to-ceiling windows
all images © maíra acayaba

zoom has integrated fluidity and privacy as fundamental features between different rooms, since residents work from home and also like to receive guests. from this premise, three axes were created: social, service and privative. the living, dining and office rooms make up the social area along the glass facade, while a centralized concrete counter links this space with the service area. the continuity of that structure along its two different heights make it both a dining table and kitchen counter. at its end, large windows and a concrete bench offer the feel of a balcony — a transition space that connects the service axe to the intimate area and links the main suite to the second.

wide living room with rebar shelf offers a flexible social space

at the apartment entrance, a green wall is installed on a polycarbonate alveolar panel that closes off the toilet and provides unique luminous interactions. from the toilet, once can spot the exterior light over the shadows of the garden — and from the living room, a luminous block behind the garden is visible when the toilet light is on. the same effect and translucency occur in the bathrooms of the suites, in which partition walls are replaced with frosted glass.

green wall alongside the apartment entrance

materiality is essential in the project, and is integrated as raw and explicit features. it takes part in the details and items designed in a personalized fashion,  like the electrical and hydraulic installations of the green wall — made of aluminum ducts and copper pipes — which offer an industrial feel. on the other hand, material repetition is present in bathroom accessories, like towel racks and toilet paper holders made of copper tubing. the same is clear for the rebar in the furniture, acting as a shelf and nightstand, as well as in door handles or lamp holders.

rebar shelf extends from floor to ceiling, and the new dwellers can accommodate their books

existing pillars, beams and slabs have been peeled off, revealing the original concrete layer that is reproduced in new elements such as countertops, main suite bathtub and the continuous bench that runs across the side of the apartment. the wooden shelves contour the living room and transform into the kitchen cupboard and laundry. in addition to these shelves, the rebar shelf offers plenty of space to accommodate numerous books, where horizontal lines provide orthogonal rhythms while vertical ones promote asymmetry. 

the vertical garden is installed on a polycarbonate alveolar panel that closes off the toilet

materials are used in a raw and explicit approach — accentuating textures, colors and light

the concrete counter is defined by two different heights, allowing it to be either a dining table or kitchen top

view of the kitchen wooden cupboard and concrete countertop

concrete bench crossing the two main suites

luminosity coming from the living room while still preserving the privacy of the toilet’s interior 

toilet with concrete sink and copper accessories reveal material repetition across the apartment

project info:

location: são paulo, brasil

status: built
start of project: december 2013

construction end: july 2015

area: 150 m²

team: guilherme ortenblad, kathleen chiang, mariane takahashi, ana carolina de lima, alex ninomia, rosa clara alves, luana pedrosa, tadeu omae

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom