Ipanema Apartment is a project designed in 2012 by Studio Arthur Casas, covers an area of 447m² and is located in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Incredible location and an entangled layout were the challenges of this apartment renovation in front of Ipanema beach, near the Arpoador rocks. The building façade extends over 30 meters towards one of the most spectacular views of Rio, but the diamond-shaped plan has a narrow rear façade only 12 meters wide. The core of the plan is largely occupied by the building?s elevators and ventilation shaft. A true puzzle if one takes in account the irregular structural pattern and the adjacent buildings blocking both sides.
Several studies led to an option where the master suite was displaced to the front façade, an unorthodox choice considering standard solutions in Rio that favors vast living rooms in front of the beach and dark bedrooms placed next to the rear façade. This proposal also asked for the kitchen to be displaced to the core of the plan, generating complex circulation paths between social and intimate areas. Finally, we had to remodel part of the existing structure in order to open the apartment to the landscape. The entrance hall is separated from the living room by a sliding glass door, surprising visitors with a view of the Atlantic. Slightly above tree canopies, the extensive façade highlights the horizon framed by a long bench that follows the parapet. The materials employed seek neutrality...