Groenlândia, a gravity-defying commercial building in the heart of Jardim Europa in São Paulo.

Behind the climbing Jacaranda trees and the 9m-high trunks of the palm trees, a block of white marble appears in a mineral garden. The intention was to emphasize the most rigid materials: marble and concrete, to defy gravity. Groenlândia connects stone and glass, rigidity and transparency, durability and lightness.

This project is a return to the essential and natural beauty of the materials. The same marble, originally from the Espírito Santo region north of Rio de Janeiro, is used for the cladding of the external walls and for the landscaping. For the first, it was polished and worked to reveal its delicate veins, for the second, it was kept in the sublime simplicity of its original state.

The roof, a large concrete slab, floats above a block of white marble suspended by two masterful concrete pillars in the center of the block. Large transparent windows support the roof, creating an invisible connection with the marble. The stone block is pierced by marble windows that open outwards, creating a paradox between function and material. The corners of the stone block rest on reflecting pools that reflect the Papyrus.

Inside, floating staircases take visitors to the roof for a unique view.

Despite the closed appearance of this São Paulo neighborhood, the wall-less building is in direct contact with the street. Once again, the architects created a relationship between the private space, the architecture, and the public space, the city.