Flagship Store in São Paulo

Used today by a fashion house as a flagship store, the two three-storey concrete volumes are enclosed within a verdant facade in a surprisingly low-tech form of construction: circular openings in the exposed concrete skin are filled with earth and a variety of plants. The simple watering system, consisting of ­exposed luminous yellow pipes, is part of the sustainable concept. Fine vapour from atomizing nozzles not only waters the plants; it ensures a pleasant indoor microclimate. Rain­water collected on the planted roofs is pro-cessed and reused for this purpose and for services within the building. The minimal design of the structure forms a calm background to the changing appearance of the facades.