Ibaté Building by Studio Arthur Casas

Designed by Studio Arthur Casas for the developer Cáucaso, the Ibaté Building occupies a prominent corner plot in Vila Nova Conceição, São Paulo. Positioned within a transitional urban zone—between the city’s dense vertical axis and a quieter residential fabric—the project responds with architectural clarity and restraint. Its design carefully mediates between metropolitan scale and neighborhood rhythm, prioritizing spatial quality, environmental integration, and a long-lasting architectural presence within the city.

Urban Context as a Design Driver

The building’s implantation is directly informed by its surrounding context. On one side, São Paulo’s vertical skyline demands a strong and confident architectural language; on the other, the residential streets call for openness and softness. The Ibaté Building navigates this duality by emphasizing integration rather than contrast. Its massing and orientation engage the city while preserving permeability at street level, allowing everyday urban life to pass through and around the building rather than be blocked by it.

This contextual reading results in an architecture that is neither introverted nor imposing. Instead, the project establishes a calm yet expressive urban presence, reinforcing the continuity between private living spaces and shared urban experience.

Structure as Architecture: The Power of Exposed Concrete

One of the defining features of the Ibaté Building is the complete exposure of its structural system. The façades are formed entirely from structural concrete, eliminating the need for additional cladding. Ribbed surfaces, enriched with warm pigmentation, lend texture and depth to the envelope, allowing structure and expression to merge into a single architectural gesture.

Rather than appearing heavy, the concrete serves as a neutral yet tactile backdrop for vertical landscaping, which is organically integrated across the façades. This vegetation softens the building’s mass, enhances thermal performance, and introduces visual rhythm, creating a symbiotic relationship between architecture and nature.

Residential Organization and Spatial Generosity

The tower rises from a longitudinal plot and is organized around large single-unit floor plans of approximately 450 m². Each level contains only one residence, reinforcing exclusivity, privacy, and spatial freedom. The internal layout clearly separates social, intimate, and service areas, ensuring efficient circulation and functional clarity.

Two elevator cores serve each unit, improving both comfort and security. All apartments were designed with cross ventilation, careful solar orientation, and generous openings toward the exterior. These strategies prioritize natural light, airflow, and environmental comfort—key aspects of high-quality urban living.

Terraces, Walkways, and Vertical Variation

The front façade opens fully onto a continuous terrace, establishing a strong connection between interior spaces and the city beyond. Perimeter walkways run along each unit, accompanied by alternating planter boxes whose positions subtly change from floor to floor. This variation prevents visual repetition, introduces depth, and creates natural shading while reinforcing the building’s vertical identity.

Aluminum guardrails with brass finishes and expansive glass frames complete the façade composition, balancing transparency with material warmth. Together, these elements produce a dynamic exterior that responds to both light and occupancy.

A Ground Floor Open to the City

At street level, the relationship between building and city becomes especially fluid. Instead of a conventional boundary or enclosure, the project introduces a generous, barrier-free ground floor populated with landscaping and urban furniture. This space functions as a shared threshold rather than a closed lobby.

A glazed “clausura” acts as an open anteroom to the city, emphasizing transparency and collective use. Within this ground-level environment, the swimming pool, elevator hall, and a contemporary corten steel sculpture by Túlio Pinto coexist in a single spatial field. Art, leisure, and circulation overlap, reinforcing the idea that everyday movement can be enriched through design and cultural expression.

Interior Materiality and Brazilian Design Heritage

Inside the building, material continuity is maintained through the consistent use of concrete, wood, glass, and warm-toned metals. Wooden panels discreetly conceal technical doors and guide circulation, maintaining visual calm and spatial order.

Furniture selection plays a central role in shaping the atmosphere. The interiors feature curated pieces by influential figures in modern and contemporary Brazilian design, including Jorge Zalszupin, Carlos Milan, Marcelo Magalhães, Guilherme Wentz, Lattoog, and Arthur Casas himself. Notable highlights such as the Soft Armchair (+55design) and the Square Table (Herança Cultural) reinforce the project’s connection to Brazilian design culture.

Environmental Strategies and Sustainable Systems

Sustainability is embedded throughout the project, not as an aesthetic statement but as an integrated design logic. Solar panels supply energy for pool heating, water reuse systems reduce consumption, and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging anticipates future mobility needs.

Passive strategies such as cross ventilation and vertical landscaping enhance thermal comfort while reducing reliance on mechanical systems. Together, these measures reflect a broader commitment to environmental responsibility and long-term efficiency.

Architecture of Permanence and Urban Integration

The Ibaté Building demonstrates a design approach in which structure, material, and function operate with coherence and intention. Every decision—from exposed concrete to open ground-floor spaces—aims to reinforce permanence, adaptability, and urban integration.

Rather than pursuing spectacle, the project contributes quietly yet decisively to São Paulo’s architectural landscape. Its strength lies in constructive clarity, spatial generosity, and a sensitive reading of context, establishing the Ibaté Building as a contemporary reference where architecture and city evolve together.

Photography: Fran Parente