Through the renovation of a 97 m² apartment in a 1970s building in the Paraíso neighborhood of São Paulo, AS913 emerged from a radical decision: to tear down all the walls and completely rethink the logic of the original floor plan. With only the structural columns preserved, Passos Arquitetura redesigned the apartment’s program, incorporating two suites, a powder room, a walk-in closet, and integrated social areas — a complete transformation that contrasts with the fragmented configuration of the original design.
Where the space was once divided into small bedrooms, a single bathroom, an isolated kitchen, and a service quarter, the new project embraces openness and continuity. The living room, kitchen, and dining area are unified into a single fluid axis, in which a stone island extends seamlessly into a dining table — a gesture that merges solidity and lightness into one singular, unchanging piece.
“In this case, we explored the full integration of the kitchen and dining area, without barriers, and the visual connections between spaces — a characteristic strongly present in Japanese architecture,” explain architects Thiago Passos and Débora Cunha, partners at Passos Arquitetura.
References to Japanese architecture appear in the visual connections and transparency between spaces: walls that do not reach the ceiling, glass transoms, and extended sightlines create a sense of openness within a compact apartment. From any point, it is possible to see from one façade to the other, intensifying the perception of space and the passage of time.
Simple, national, and intentional materials reinforce the project’s identity. The monolithic flooring unifies the environments, while the original wooden parquet was reused in the bedrooms and walk-in closet. Sandblasted Espírito Santo marble, with its subtle veining, brings discreet and accessible sophistication. White lacquer millwork with clean lines completes the composition, featuring minimal and precise detailing.
Custom-designed furniture also plays a central role. The L-shaped sofa was conceived as a continuous element, running through the TV room and extending into the social area, optimizing space and stitching together different uses. Tables, beds, and countertops were likewise designed specifically for the apartment, transforming furniture into an inseparable part of the architecture.
More than a renovation, AS913 proposes a new dynamic for high-rise living. By opening both façades, the project highlights the path of the sun and the changing seasons, giving the apartment a rare dimension: the sensory experience of time within an urban space. “What was most intriguing was realizing how the apartment revealed the transition of the seasons. In summer, the sun entered from one façade; in winter, from the opposite one. Plants would move throughout the year, creating a strong connection with time and the outdoor climate,” the architects note.
With bold solutions and precise design, Passos Arquitetura transforms a 1970s apartment layout into an exercise in living architectural language — where integration, light, and materiality shape a new way of dwelling.
