VDA Building

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Photo © Leonardo Finotti

Photo © Carlos M Teixeira

Photo © Gabriel Castro

Photo © Carlos M Teixeira

Photo © Gabriel Castro

Photo © Carlos M Teixeira

Photo © Gabriel Castro

Apartment Buildings

Architects: Vazio S/A

Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Year: 2012
Team: Carlos M Teixeira, Leonardo Rodrigues

VDA is a residential building whose apartments make up a carved and irregular volume. The shape is its more explicit difference and, structurally, is the result of some small lateral swings designed as overlapping diagonals. In addition to proposing an alternative to the sameness of the local residential vertical architecture, the project recovers elements that have been forgotten by the real estate market, such as louvers, the apartment-house, large balconies, yard and splitting levels, bringing back the space and the typical warmth of the houses.

Ed. VDA bears similarities with a previous Vazio S/A project, Ed. Buenos Aires, such as the choice not to integrate recreation area and amenities (a fact which enables condominium’s lower costs), by presenting all-different apartments (assuming the fact that this diversity reflects the diversity of the residents) and its organic staggered implementation, which enabled several apartments with yard and gardens.

More than an architectural project, the building is part of the office attitude both practical and experimental, which was possible thanks to our dual responsibility as architects and developers.