An academic study developed in the Special Projects Studio I course of the Architecture and Urbanism program at Universidade La Salle, in partnership with Woss. The work is grounded in a close reading of the current municipal regulatory framework, aiming to test the limits imposed by urban legislation and real estate market dynamics, while expanding design possibilities for contemporary vertical housing.
Located in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood, the building is based on the enhancement of the environmental performance of the units, with an emphasis on cross ventilation and the maximization of open eastern views. The proposal acknowledges the consolidation of adjacent plots, whose dimensions no longer allow for vertical development, incorporating this condition as a design strategy. The volumetric organization and unit layout optimize orientation, natural lighting, and ventilation, while preserving the privacy of the apartments’ social areas.
The building is structured around two vertical circulation cores, allowing for the reduction of common areas and the maximization of private unit spaces, establishing a more efficient relationship between circulation and housing units. The site layout avoids direct visual contact with the tower to the west, reinforcing privacy and qualifying the relationship between the interior and its immediate surroundings.
The study is thus framed as a critical exercise on contemporary vertical housing, exploring strategies of site planning and spatial organization that reconcile environmental performance, distributive efficiency, and architectural quality, while responding to the specific constraints of a consolidated urban context.
