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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.