Vitra Itaim

History

From JHSFi, with architecture by Daniel Libeskindi, the Vitra is one of São Paulo’s most iconic buildings, in Itaimi, next to Parque do Povoi and Shopping JK Iguatemii. It is Libeskindi‘s first project in South America and was born from a partnership with the São Paulo firm of Pablo Slemensoni, who signed the local design — one of the rare signatures by a world-class starchitect in the city.

• Concept: the world architecture icon, designed by Daniel Libeskindi, with one resident per floor, in Itaimi.
• Curiosities: Libeskindi designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the master plan for Ground Zero in New York; the Vitra has a monumental sculpture by Irmãos Campanai, about 80 metres long.
• Not to be confused with: this is the Vitra in Itaimi, São Paulo — built by JHSFi with architecture by Daniel Libeskindi. There is a second building with the same name, Vitra by Pininfarinai, in Balneário Camboriú/SC, built by Pasqualotto & GTi with architecture by Pininfarinai: they are homonyms, with no relation to each other — different city, developer and architect.

Architecture and aesthetics

The design is faceted like a cut gemstone: no face repeats the previous one, and the façade alternates blind panels with glazed, landscaped balconies, set into the volume rather than stuck onto it — it is this alternation that gives the building the rhythm by which it is recognised on the skyline. Each floor holds an apartment with its own layout, no two alike; the penthouse spans two floors and has a private outdoor pool. The structure is by Julio Kassoy and Mario Franco. The engineering follows the gesture without contradicting it: rainwater harvesting and reuse, solar panels for heating, low-emissivity glass against heat transmission, and AQUA certification. At ground level, the monumental sculpture by Irmãos Campanai, about eighty metres long, extends the building beyond itself. Interiors by Dado Castello Brancoi.

Aesthetics and scarcity

• Aesthetics: contemporary with a world-class signature, sculpted and crystalline in form.

Technical specifications

• Towers and units: single tower, 14 storeys, 14 units (one per floor, plus 1 duplex penthouse).
• Sizes: from 565 to 1,145 m² (3 to 5 suites, reversible); duplex penthouse at the top of the range.
• Parking: 5 to 6 spaces.
• Structural highlights: icon architecture with a sculpted, crystalline form, AQUA certification and a monumental sculpture by Irmãos Campana (about 80 m).
• Registration and parameters: plot 1,611 m² · frontage 29 m · 1 tower · 12 storeys · 13 units (1 per floor) · 4 bedrooms · 6 parking spaces · 4 bathrooms · private areas of 602 m² (standard) and 1,562 m² (penthouse) · registration jurisdiction 4º Registro de Imóveis de São Pauloi · zoning ZM · buildable potential 2x · height limit 28 m.

Leisure and facilities

• Pool and heated pool
• Gym
• Children’s playroom
• Function and games room
• Gourmet area
• Tennis court
• Sauna
• Playground
• Integrated landscaping

Location and surroundings

Points of interest · distances in metres

Itaim Bibi: the address

Avenida Horácio Lafer is not an avenue in the sense that Itaimi gives the word: it is a short, residential road, wedged between Faria Limai and Parque do Povoi, one the city rarely crosses and residents use every day. The Vitra is at number 500, and the address can be read through two figures: 164 metres to the Faria Lima Square heliport, 79 to the municipal early-childhood education school. A street where the helicopter and the nursery gate fit on the same block. Shopping JK Iguatemii is 414 metres away and Estação Cidade Jardimi on Line 9 – Esmeralda 770 — and at number 430 on the same avenue is Vizcayai, the second address in the collection on this stretch.