The client owned a plot in the city center, located in an urban area undergoing renovation. The site was previously occupied by an old single-family house, out of place
amidst the growing urban density. The brief called for a steel-frame multifamily building, reflecting the client’s industrial imaginary.
A rare opportunity to reflect and investigate steel construction!
A multi-family residential building was developed, consisting of a basement and five storeys, with a total construction area of 1,904.63 m².
The plot, which has three frontages (east, south and west), is situated at the junction of Alameda da Estação and Rua Dr. Serafim Lima.
The geometry of the plot is trapezoidal, with a 10-metre frontage at the corner, approximately 26 metres in length, and 15.75 metres adjoining the neighbouring northern plot.
The building footprint covers 306.5 m², occupying almost the entirety of the site.
The recessed ground floor offers two arcaded galleries beneath the balconies on the east and west façades, widening the public pavement and recalling the arcades of medieval streets.
The compositional elements align with the constructive requirements through objective design. The building’s façades are formed by a structural grid of 2.75 x 3.50 metres, using HEB 180 profiles.
To address the façade proportions and regulate the geometric composition of the plan, the southern frontage was divided into two blind façades, carved out by the galleries at pavement level.
There are a total of 16 units, 15 of which are residential. The ground floor contains two dwellings and a commercial space. Floors 1 and 2 share the same layout, each comprising five dwellings. On the eastern side, floors 3 and 4 are progressively set back to reduce the height of the street-facing elevation, respecting the maximum height limit of three storeys on Rua Serafim Lima.
This legal constraint made it possible to create large terraces for the largest housing typologies, laid out in a duplex configuration.
The internal structure consists of reinforced concrete walls and slabs. The east and west façades are enclosed with slim aluminium frames fitted with solar control glazing and shaded by projecting balconies. The opaque vertical surfaces of the façade are clad with a ventilated system of brushed aluminium panels, installed over a consistent 10 cm thermal insulation layer.
The flat roofs combine the principles of conventional flat roofing and inverted roofing — a layer of insulation protects the waterproof membrane, which is adhered over a base layer of thermal insulation, eliminating condensation on ceilings and increasing the longevity of the waterproofing.
Ventilation and smoke extraction ducts are exposed on the east façade, clad in stainless steel with a finish that matches the building’s exterior.
The dwellings feature eucalyptus wood flooring and plasterboard walls and ceilings.
Kitchens, bathrooms, shared corridors, and stairwells are finished with microcement mortar.
Heating and hot water systems are electrically powered and supplemented by photovoltaic panels. The air conditioning system is of the direct expansion type. Domestic hot water is produced using a monobloc heat pump system.
