Located in the heart of Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, this 125 meter high commercial
tower is designed to be a modern building of elegant but simple design. It catches attention
by its all-glass façade and its unique geometry of a minimal but compelling shape. The
typical buildings along Faria Lima Avenue are rectangular blocks, turning a flat façade
towards the street. To break this repetitive monotony PEI Architects positioned the street
facades angular to the avenue and combined the cusped geometry with an efficient rectangular
floor plan behind. The angular facades create two small entry plazas along the
avenue and the overall building shape addresses the unusually large plaza to the south
and the drop-off to the north.
As the tower rises the floor plan continuously changes from a six-sided base to a rectangular
plan at the top of parapet while keeping an almost uniform floor plate of 2000 m2
as the program required. The north and south facades rise perpendicular from the ground
while the facades of the diagonal ends at the east and west are tilting in and tilting out to
mediate between the two geometries. The dynamic shape of the inclined facade gives the
tower a prominent presence along Faria Lima and further stresses the unique quality. To
emphasize the pristine geometry of the tower as a large monolithic glass crystal, the crisp
edges of the tower are lined with metal bands.
The office tower has incorporated green elements in its design to make use of specific
site conditions in the climate of São Paulo. The construction methods and components for
the project were forward-thinking and sustainable. Faria Lima was award LEED Silver by
the United States Green Building Council Reference Guide for Leadership in Energy and
Environment Design principals
