ÍCARO by arthur casas is an extension of brazil's natural landscape

currently under construction in the southern brazilian city of curitiba, ‘ÍCARO’ is a residential condominium building designed by arthur casas. the complex comprises three towers, which contain apartment units, three to five suites, as well as customized garden duplex and penthouse units. all residences offer plenty of natural light, lush terraces, and hanging gardens. the project is expected to complete in early 2019.

‘ÍCARO’ is a residential condominium building designed by arthur casas

‘ÍCARO intends to go beyond the traditional concept of the apartment building,’ explains the project’s architect, arthur casas. ‘it brings to the resident the scale of an environment that feels more like a house, including the spaciousness and the privacy it provides. at ÍCARO people will feel like living in a house, not in an apartment.’

the scheme contains generous amounts of outdoor space

in order to fully integrate the building with the natural landscape, casas worked closely with the project’s landscape architect renata tilli. ‘ÍCARO presents a new way of looking at architecture,’ tilli says. ‘our goal is to make sure that there is vegetation everywhere, in a way that people can look at it in a new way, where the focus will be nature, not concrete. the landscape invades the building, not the other way around.’

each area of the development features high-end furniture

‘in addition to the huge nature spaces, designed as if they had been planted in soil, which posed a major technical challenge, ÍCARO has internal patios, gardens and a lake with biological treatment, including aquatic vegetation and fish,’ continues renata tilli. ‘the pool will also be a differential because it will be indoors, which will allow a more rational use of energy in its heating. as architectural design and landscaping favor integrated spaces, the freshness of the vegetation and the ventilation will provide fresher environments, requiring a much lower use of air conditioning.’

interior spaces are naturally and brightly illuminated

‘ÍCARO was designed to offer the maximum quality of life to its residents, that is why the design of the apartments is so close to that of houses when it comes to space and distribution; they are real suspended houses,’ adds alfredo gulin neto, CEO of AG7 realty, owner of the building. ‘within this concept, the layouts of the units are shaped like a square, with very large terraces, highlighting their innovative proposition.’

the residences have been designed to feel like houses, rather than apartments