CASAMIRADOR Savassi by Gisele Borges Arquitectura – Photo by Juliana Berzoini.
Architecture – Gisele Borges Arquitectura has completed the CASAMIRADOR Savassi residential building standing out in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The nine floors architecture features 14 lofts and 24 studios occupying a 60-m long and only 12.7-m wide lot. “The challenge of its volumetric mathematics, to respect distances, was one of the factors that influenced non-obvious decisions resulting in an architecture created with its own identity.” Explains Gisele Borges.
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CASAMIRADOR Savassi wears a second aluminum skin painted in an earthy reddish sepia hue that nods to the abundance of raw ore in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
The sheets were dotted with circular holes of various sizes to obtain lightness and transparency, and all were disposed in an asymmetrical yet harmonic way. Such a solution allows air circulation while guaranteeing the residents’ privacy.
Photo by Juliana Berzoini.
The skin covering the building also provides thermal comfort to the units. “Due to the reduced dimensions of the land and minimal rooftop space for installing equipment or photovoltaic panels, it was necessary to find a sustainable solution that would avoid the entry of heat, to the detriment of an air conditioning project.”
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
Large windows contribute to providing abundant light and ventilation. Their concrete frames contrast with the predominant oxidized color while enhancing gently balanced randomness. The pyramidal building touches the land lightly thanks to a V-shaped pillar inspired by Oscar Niemeyer’s architecture.
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
“The final design results from a marriage between covering sheets, frames, and structure.” Says Borges. “There are three elements that alternate on the facades with greater or lesser relevance of the skin, ensuring a clean and unadorned layout.”
Photo by Juliana Berzoini.
“At a first look, it looks weird. However, soon enough, it creates a correlative form with our memories by simply resembling a house. The complex triggers curiosity. What remains is beauty and lightness. A very familiar thing.”
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
All photos by Pablo Gomide, Juliana Berzoini and Leon Myssior. Courtesy of Gisele Borges Arquitectura.
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
Photo by Pablo Gomide.
