It is not only by breaking with the jig of the Neighborhood Santa Lucia, in the south of Belo Horizonte, that the residential building Parc Nimbus draws attention. At 60m high, in the middle of a landscape of houses, the building is highlighted by the strong and, at the same time, harmonic design, which reveals structural elements in order to enrich the architectural ensemble. Portico, pillar and pergolate make the finish of the construction, marked by the recess of the main façade. Creation of the mining architect Gustavo Penna, the project privileges green areas and guarantees the apartments a panoramic view of the city.

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For the architect, the obtuse angle created by the two planes of the façade does more than break the rigidity of the volume. "The 'concavity' is a gesture of welcoming the building in relation to the landscape," explains Penna, who implemented the building in order to avoid excessive land movements. Rugged and irregular in shape, the land is formed by the union of eleven lots situated between Roma and Xingu streets. Both offer pedestrian and vehicle access to the condominium.

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With 353m², the apartments (one per floor) have free plans that allow changes in the layout according to the needs of each owner. The leisure areas were arranged on two levels, in order to preserve the profile of the land. In the dimension of Roma Street  and the garage, swimming pool and sauna were implanted. Parking for visitors, ballroom and tennis court are on the pilotis floor (ground floor), which gives access to the woods.

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Except for the greenish glass, granite overtake as an external coating material, giving visual unity to the building. The ventilated facades are formed by plates fixed to the concrete structure by metal inserts. Thus, there is a void between the coating and the seal. The idea of unity is also reinforced by the participation of structural elements in the architectural composition – central portico and pillar come out of the ground floor and integrate into the pergolate in the roof.

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Excerpts from the report by Valentina Figuerola - Arquitetura & Urbanismo Magazine - no. 145 - April 2006.

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Architecture

Gustavo Penna, Laura Penna, Norberto Bambozzi, Alexandre Bragança

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Place

Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais – Brazil

 

Technical Data
Year of the project: 1999

Year of completion of the work: 2003
Built area: 5,636m²

Photos

Jomar Bragança