Único

History

Itaim Bibii is known for its skyscrapers and the bustle of its avenues, but it still holds pockets of quiet. It is in one of them — a dead-end, residential and tree-lined street — that Meta Incorporadorai raised Único, designed by Studio Arthur Casasi from 2014 and completed in 2017, built by Souza Lima Construtorai. The programme was designed for a deliberately heterogeneous group of residents, united by a single wish: the convenience and the life of the neighbourhood without giving up the comfort of home. Hence the rare variety of unit types in a small building — from the double-height loft to the triplex penthouse.

• Concept: a façade the residents operate. The wooden mashrabiya screens close in a guillotine motion covering the two floors of each unit, and the whole building changes its reading throughout the day — without anyone needing to glaze in a balcony.
• Trivia: the name has a formal justification, and the architect explains it through Gestalt — the whole is not the sum of the parts, and the architecture can only be understood when the building is seen as a whole. There is also the Unique unit type, which allows joining two lofts of 85 and 105 m² to form a custom three-bedroom flat; and the concierge service was sized at one person for every three flats.

Architecture and aesthetics

The front façade is the gesture that defines the building: panels inspired by the mashrabiya, in wood, with a guillotine closing system running across the two floors of each unit. The solution solves three problems at once — it guarantees privacy without blocking the view of the tree-lined street, lets in natural light and ventilation, and allows the balcony to be sealed without glazing. On top of that, it pushes the terraces to different floors depending on the unit’s position: on the side units they sit on the social floor, on the central ones on the private floor. The side of the building received a white perforated metal panel, as carefully designed as the front mashrabiya, and cobogó blocks complete the repertoire. Interiors and decoration of the common areas are by Studio Arthur Casasi itself — a complete work, building and interior in the same minimalist language. The landscaping is by Andre Paolielloi.

Aesthetics and scarcity

Technical specifications

• Towers and units: 1 tower, 8 floors plus penthouse, 29 units, 2 lifts. The lifts have double exits, so each one serves only two units.
• Sizes: three floor-plan families — loft, 84.97 to 116.46 m² (20 units), garden, 113.28 to 175.22 m² with a private garden and social terrace (5 units), and penthouse, triplex, 221 to 222.23 m² with a pool and gourmet space (4 units). The internal lines carry their own names: Suit (85 m², double ceiling height), Urban (105 m², double ceiling height and vertical mashrabiya), Duplex (116 m², two suites) and Unique (joining two lofts).
• Parking: 1, 2 or 3 covered, private and marked spaces.
• Structural highlights: double ceiling height in the loft units · mashrabiya screens and cobogós on the façade · double-exit lifts · dead-end street · biometric lock · electric generator for the common areas · central water heating in the common and private areas · air-conditioning infrastructure in the flats · provision for automation of common and private areas · internal CCTV circuit.
• Registry and parameters: plot of 1,157.14 m² · built area of 5,625.99 m² · 1 tower · 8 floors plus penthouse · 29 units · 2 lifts · project from 2014 · completed in 2017.

Leisure and facilities

• Circular pool with deck and solarium on the top floor
• Sauna on the ground floor
• Spa with hot tub
• Fitness area
• Business centre
• Coworking
• Gourmet space
• Games room
• Playground
• Bicycle rack with bicycles personalised for residents
• Shared laundry in the basement
• Concierge service
• Housekeeping service
• Property management, reservations and vehicle rental
• Wi-Fi in common areas
• 24-hour security
• Selective waste collection

Location and surroundings

Points of interest · distances in metres

Itaim Bibi: the address

Itaim Bibii is the neighbourhood where São Paulo works, dines and lives — not always in that order. Rua Oscar Pereira da Silva is an exception within it: a dead-end, residential and tree-lined street, in the core between Avenida Juscelino Kubitscheki, Avenida Santo Amaroi and Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônioi. From there, Parque Ibirapuerai and Parque do Povoi are minutes away, as are Shopping JK Iguatemii and Shopping Iguatemi São Pauloi, Hospital São Luizi and Hospital Sírio-Libanêsi. It is the address for those who want the walking distance of Itaim without the noise of Itaim.