Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude by Nicholas Alencar

Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude by Nicholas Alencar is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award in Bronze in Architektur-, Gebäude- und Bauwerksdesign Competition Category.

BronzeArchitektur· 2026

Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude

by Nicholas Alencar

Client: Alencar

A' Design Award in Bronze Winner in Architektur Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #175664

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Colors

The Design

About Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude

Kaiserstrasse ist ein Wohngebäude mit sieben Einheiten in Blumenau, Brasilien, das urbanes Wohnen neu definiert, indem es die Privatsphäre eines Hauses mit den Vorzügen des vertikalen Wohnens verbindet. Jede sich über eine ganze Etage erstreckende Wohnung öffnet sich zu weitläufigen Terrassen, privaten Pools und integrierten Pflanzkübeln, die die Fassade in einen vertikalen Garten verwandeln. Das offene Erdgeschoss lädt zur Interaktion mit der Stadt ein, während die gemeinschaftliche Dachterrasse geteilte Freizeitmöglichkeiten und einen Panoramablick bietet und so Privatsphäre, Gemeinschaft und Nachhaltigkeit in Einklang bringt.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Bronze

Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Bronze, einer hochprestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für herausragende Designs, die sich durch Kreativität, Einfallsreichtum und Scharfsinn auszeichnen. Bronze-Gewinner sind reichlich geschickte und auffallend kreative Artefakte, die die große Erfahrung, Fantasie und Findigkeit ihrer Designer belegen. Von Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude wird erwartet, dass es ein hochgeschätztes, bewundertes und geliebtes Objekt ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Bronze prämierte Design verkörpert bewährte Verfahren in Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie und ist hervorragend in seiner Liebe zum Detail. Kaiserstrasse Wohngebäude befriedigt Bedürfnisse auf großartige Weise, berührt Wünsche, bezaubert Gefühle und spricht die Neugier an.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Kaiserstrasse is a seven-unit residential building that redefines urban housing by blending the privacy and richness of a house - verandas, courtyards, vegetation - with the advantages of vertical living. Each unit occupies a full floor, with private outdoor spaces and mature trees growing from the slabs. Located on a historic avenue once lined with villas, the building uses parametric design to create stepped, dynamic forms that maximize natural light and airflows.
Dimensions & Packaging: Total built area: 4,973 square meters. The building rises with a stepped form, housing seven full-floor apartments with terraces, private pools, and integrated vegetation. Structure: cast-in-place reinforced concrete. Façade: floor-to-ceiling glazing with brise-soleils. Features include natural cross ventilation, smart irrigation, and communal rooftop amenities.
Tags: Residential, Building, Architecture, Brazil, Residential Building, Residential Architecture, Vertical Garden, Parametric Design, Adaptive Layout, Private Pools
Production Technology: The project was realized through cast-in-place reinforced concrete combined with integrated planters in the slabs. Parametric design tools guided solar and ventilation studies, ensuring environmental performance. Structural cores and minimized internal load-bearing walls enabled open, adaptable layouts. Local, durable materials with low embodied carbon were prioritized.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge was reconciling strict setback regulations with the desire for generous terraces and openness. Instead of limiting the design, the rules shaped its sculpted form. Additional challenges included integrating mature trees into structural slabs, balancing privacy with community, and ensuring sustainability with local construction techniques.
Research: Applied architectural research focused on integrating house-like qualities into high-density housing. Objectives included maximizing light, ventilation, and biodiversity. Methods: solar studies, parametric modeling, and structural experimentation. Data came from environmental simulations and code interpretation. Results: adaptable layouts, reduced energy demand, and a façade as a living vertical garden. Insights highlight sustainable, community-oriented urban housing.
Inspiration: The project was inspired by the historic avenue once lined with villas, where gardens and verandas defined daily life. The motive was to reinterpret these qualities—privacy, openness, vegetation—within a vertical structure, blending the comfort of a private house with the convenience of urban apartment living. Strict setback regulations also shaped the building’s sculpted, stepped form.
Project Duration: The project started in 2020 in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and was completed in March 2025. Located on Alameda Rio Branco, one of the city’s most historic avenues, the building embodies a contemporary reinterpretation of the street’s traditional villas while proposing a new vision for urban living.
Operation Flow: Each resident experiences the privacy of a house with the benefits of collective living. Apartments flow seamlessly from interior to large terraces and pools, creating indoor-outdoor living. The open ground floor reconnects the building with the city, while the shared rooftop offers leisure and gathering space, encouraging community interaction.
Image Credits: Image #1: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #2: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #3: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #4: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025
Image #5: Leonardo Finotti, Kaiserstraße, 2025