debaixo do bloco transforms an oscar niemeyer building into apartment

as part of the reactivation of an oscar niemeyer-designed building in brazil — which in its last years functioned as a school — são paulo-based debaixo do bloco architecture has transformed one of its old classrooms into a 68 sqm apartment. titled studio hundred and 7 N, the project sees all social areas fully integrated, including the living room, kitchen, and home office, while the bedroom and bathroom are partially or totally isolated by two constructive elements purposely designed within the open space.

all images by haruo mikami

debaixo do bloco architecture has designed the apartment for a cosmopolitan client who lives alone, receives friends, and travels a lot. the space measures 8.50m long by 8.00m wide ,and has a ceiling height of 3,20 m, while the living room, kitchen, home office, bedroom, and bathroom are distributed in an open plan layout. constructive elements have been developed within the flat to help separate different functions: the first is a pillar of 1,10 m in length that helps in structuring the trusses of the roof and makes the physical and visual delimitation of the living room-kitchen to the bedroom. the second is a free-standing black cube made of stone that reaches 2,20 m in height and creates the necessary privacy for the environment.

another constructive element is the vertical brise-soleil placed in the front and rear facades as a way to integrate interior with exterior and reduce direct solar incidence. to camouflage the different structural elements and materials such as the tiles, trusses, structures, and installation, the architects have painted them white, turning them into one and thus reducing visual pollution. the finish of the walls is a mixture of cement and glue developed on site that creates a neutral background in color, but irregular is in textures and shadows. brazilian furniture has been used for the decoration, while various objects, fashion magazines and travel souvenirs are exhibited next to paintings by artist christus nobrega and aldemir martins to give personality to the space.