In the midst of Jardins, one of São Paulo's most desired and established neighborhoods, AO introduces BAUMAN, a residential building boasting a variety of floor plans, modular solutions, and a unique architectural language on a slender plot of land.

With a built area of 617.3m², the creation presents a twelve-story residential building, enveloped by an exploration of spatial poetics enabled by the utilization of a slender and idiosyncratic plot, situated within a contested urban grid.

The plot, measuring less than 11 meters wide and 57 meters deep, is surrounded by clusters of houses, imposing volumetric limitations that are transformed into design potential. The concept of an absolute prism, fitting within the limited remaining area after applying lateral setbacks, guided the organization of floor plans in a linear fashion along three main facades and a circulation axis that traverses through social and intimate spaces. Each floor was divided into two independent apartments: one facing Batataes Street, where the main entrance is located, featuring one bedroom, and another positioned in the middle of the plot, offering views of the nearby clusters of houses, with two suites.

Three configurations of linear modular floor plans were created, allocating different areas for each function within the apartments. This logic allows for a diversity of compositions, resulting in distinct units in their layouts. The floor plans enabled a graphic facade language, where blocks of exposed stone appear to be stacked while being punctuated by the alternation of solid and void elements. Internally, this translates into an organization based on sequential transition between spaces, marked by a dramatic journey characterized by light and shadow.

As a result, each unit is easily identifiable from street level, as internal arrangements are reflected in distinct placements of balcony-type balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows. The rooftop accommodates two triplex units, featuring uncovered terraces serving as living spaces with individual pools and pergolas as volumetric closing elements.

Research on ergonomic parameters for furniture and quality construction organizes the entire building and its segmented spaces in a rational logic. This allowed for the establishment of standard widths of 0.60 meters for cabinets, countertops, and balconies, 0.90 meters for circulation, and 2.85 meters for each room, arranged in variable sequences. A standardization that aligns essential qualities of scale, proportion, harmony, and rhythm. The ground floor remains open as a counterpoint to the solidity of the main block, which rests upon a structural table composed of expressive transition framing. The level also houses the gym and a landscaped walkway, with a pool at the rear, as well as two transition accesses, one for the apartments and another for the garage.

The parking solution, arranged in two underground levels with bifurcated accesses, aimed to allow for a parking layout that eliminates the need for vehicles to perform a complete turn, given the insufficient area for such maneuvers. The ground floor strategy seeks to create a unique interface to unify three ecosystems within the urban fabric - the social, urban, and natural - continuing the vocation of the Jardins neighborhood.

The concept and all solutions stem from the characteristics of the terrain and evolve into a carved monolith with scale breaks in scenic openings that allow for observation of people living and moving within a sensory, attractive, and contemporary architecture.

Architecture: ARCHITECTS OFFICE 

Partner in charge:  Greg Bousquet

Architecture director: Sávio Jobim

Dedicated team: Larissa Oliveira, Rafael Igayara, Maria Gabriella Stabile, Ícaro Epifânio, Regiane Fernandes, Luiza Bouças, Aline Assoni, Marcelo Sbarra, Renata Cupini, Guilherme Fiorotto,  Bianca de Cillo, Diego Pereira, Ana Thereza; Danusa Teles, Lourenço Tomaz.