12 Feb 2025
Triptyque & Architects Office proposes a new typology of living spaces that combines private apartments with shared areas dedicated to the body and well-being. Inspired by ancient gymnasiums, this vision reimagines housing by integrating sports facilities, meditation spaces, and care centres, creating a harmonious ecosystem between the body, mind, and community, all within a sustainable and wellness-focused architectural framework.
"Adding the collective function of sports to a residential building is about much more than enhancing the living space: it is about redefining housing as a place of holistic growth," explains Olivier Raffaelli, co-founder of the agency. "Housing is no longer just a shelter, but becomes a framework that supports and questions the body, especially in an era marked by the acceleration of the world’s virtualization."
The tower relies on a load-bearing façade, freeing the internal spaces from structural constraints and allowing total reversibility of layouts. The structural grid is interrupted to accommodate collective spaces dedicated to sports and well-being, while its lightweight, fully glazed façade opens the interior spaces to panoramic views of Curitiba, thus connecting the residents to the outside world.
"One of the major urban challenges is to rethink the envelopes of high-rise buildings and design them according to the principle of thick façades that are both sun-protected and inhabited," adds Guillaume Sibaud, also a co-founder. "The constant relationship with outdoor spaces makes this type of living environment desirable. We sought to reduce architecture to its essentials: structure, light, sky, and the quality of the spaces. This raw simplicity, inspired by brutalism, refocuses the architectural experience on what truly matters."
At the base of the tower, the site establishes a dual interaction: a direct connection with the city at ground level, and the recreation of a space filled with dense, native vegetation, merging nature with urbanity. Its singular and elegant silhouette, designed in compliance with urban planning setbacks, redefines the skyline of Curitiba.
Illustrating the principles of psychosocial well-being, this project is the first in Brazil to receive the title of Wellness Building. It has also obtained Fitwel and Green Building Council certifications and won the Rethinking the Future award in 2022.
"Every decision was guided by functionality, but resulted in something poetically integrated into the urban and natural context," concludes Greg Bousquet, founder of ARCHITECTS OFFICE.
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