-
Architects: Jacobsen arquitetura
- Area: 8250 m²
- Year: 2019
-
Photographs:Pedro Mascaro
Text description provided by the architects. Located in Jardim Botânico, one of Rio de Janeiro's lushest neighborhoods, the PULSE building houses business offices, featuring unit/area flexibility, common meeting spaces, an auditorium and a rooftop coffee shop overlooking the Christ the Redeemer statue. Commercial spaces facing the street and with underground parking are located on the ground floor. The aesthetic intention was to create an object foreign to the surroundings, as a counterpoint to neighboring buildings. This was achieved in terms of shape, materials and colors, indicating a moment of requalification of the neighborhood, which already is presenting a sense of modernization in terms of infrastructure, local shops and real estate.
Hence, we therefore proposed a translucent, but not entirely transparent, construction. A silent, ethereal object. One that stands out subtly at night, like a faint lantern, unlike the dimly lit residential buildings or the brightly lit office buildings. For this purpose, we used special glass with opacity filters; they add protection from sunlight. And we installed transparent and movable glass that accentuates the façade, proffering a certain dynamic aspect to the minimalism of the building that also allows interaction with the city and landscape.
In order to fragment the verticality of the façade and increase internal comfort with relation to the city’s heat and the frequent rainfall, we have used large matte black aluminum eaves. They permit the entry of more light while controlling temperatures; consequently, they offer energy savings. Unlike the lower floors, they make use of aluminum brises and a large transparent glass façade facing the street, thus creating independence from the tower's base. Freijó wood panels on the walls and São Gabriel granite floor with a brushed finish make up the internal finishing palette, representing a proposal to use natural materials to humanize and add warmth to the common and circulation areas.
