In the renovation project of this apartment located in the Higienópolis neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil, the Brasília-based firm BLOCO Arquitetos, led by partners Daniel Mangabeira, Henrique Coutinho, and Matheus Seco, capitalized on the original features of the property, situated in a building by Rubens Camargo Monteiro, and combined them with the desires and needs of the residents. Photography by Maíra Acayaba.

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During the analysis phase of the building’s original design, the architects discovered a ceiling that appeared to be of the “double slab” type. However, structural analysis revealed that the underside of this slab had no structural function, serving only as a finishing ceiling. This allowed the thin lower layer to be carefully removed, revealing the beautiful composition of structural beams that were incorporated into the interior design. Furthermore, the existing solid ipê wood flooring, laid in a double herringbone pattern, was preserved and restored, and the plaster on the perimeter walls was removed to expose the original solid brick.
The original, compartmentalized layout had a pantry between the kitchen and the living room, a small service bathroom, a single suite, and a central vestibule that split the flow in the social area. To adapt the apartment to the residents’ needs, the architects removed one of the bedrooms and the pantry, creating a TV room and a kitchen – wh...