Co-authorship: DC architecture

 photography: Tiago Tardin

The Humaitá neighborhood stands out for its privileged location in the city. Close to the Rebouças Tunnel — an important road that connects the northern and southern zones —, the neighborhood also offers easy access to parks and leisure areas, such as Lagoa and the Botanical Garden. Additionally, it boasts an excellent variety of services and entertainment options. Situated at the foot of Corcovado, Humaitá preserves the surrounding nature, with the Atlantic Forest invading its streets, making them charming and bucolic.

On one of these pleasant streets, Viúva Lacerda, we designed Janeiro 183, a three-story residential building that offers apartments with integrated, functional, and comfortable spaces. Comprising seven exclusive units, the development includes studios, garden apartments, two-bedroom apartments, and rooftop gardens — the latter with privileged views of Corcovado, under the arms of Christ the Redeemer.

Janeiro 183 is a residential building with simple design and modest architecture, featuring spaces that enhance people's well-being and integration with the landscape. Its architecture reflects respect for the surroundings and the preserved bucolic urban ambiance of the street. The building's scale and cladding materials harmoniously integrate with neighboring listed properties. The façade highlights a tradition of Portuguese architecture, the use of tile panels, here reinterpreted in contemporary patterns. Glass balconies on the front façade connect the interiors to the street's vegetation, providing natural light and comfort to the indoor spaces. At the back façade, stairs leading to the studios' rooftop gardens are enclosed in cobogó, which protect the interiors from the afternoon sun and create a pleasant light and shadow effect.

The ground floor is functional and secure, with three remotely controlled accesses: the main entrance, the service entrance, and the garage entrance. The main entrance is designed for privacy, with an exclusive area for utility boxes and meters, ensuring that only residents and guests have access to common halls. The service entrance includes a bicycle storage with seven spaces, a garbage depot, and a service bathroom. The garage offers three spaces for greater convenience, as well as technical areas.

In the building's common areas, the choice of simple and unpretentious materials — such as concrete on the staircase floor, iron on the handrail, and wood on the doors — brings lightness to the circulation areas. A skylight positioned over the staircase allows natural light to enter, "lighting up" the environment.

The apartment layouts are designed to accommodate different family profiles and lifestyles. The integrated room layouts enhance the spaciousness of the spaces, providing practicality to the residents' daily lives.