Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe by Nicholas Alencar

Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe by Nicholas Alencar is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award in Dearadh Ailtireachta, Foirgníochta agus Struchtúir Competition Category.

Cré-umhaAiltireacht· 2026

Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe

by Nicholas Alencar

Client: Alencar

Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award Winner in Ailtireacht Category

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The Design

About Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe

Is foirgneamh cónaithe seacht n-aonad é Kaiserstrasse in Blumenau, an Bhrasaíl, a shainmhíníonn cónaí uirbeach as an nua trí phríobháideachas tí a chumasc le buntáistí na tithíochta ingearaí. Osclaíonn gach árasán urláir iomláin amach ar ardáin fhairsinge, ar linnte snámha príobháideacha, agus ar phlandálaithe comhtháite, ag athrú an aghaidh tosaigh ina ghairdín ingearach. Tugann an bhunurlár oscailte cuireadh don idirghníomhaíocht leis an gcathair, agus cuireann díon coiteann áineas roinnte agus radhairc lánléargais ar fáil, ag cothromú príobháideachais, pobail agus inbhuanaitheachta.

The Recognition

About the Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award

Bhuaigh an dearadh Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award, aitheantas an-ghradamach a bhronntar ar dhearaí sármhaithe a mbíonn cruthaitheacht, aireagacht agus géarchúis mar shaintréithe acu. Is déantúsáin ghlic agus chruthaitheacha go suntasach iad buaiteoirí Cré-umha a dhearbhaíonn taithí fhairsing, samhlaíocht agus acmhainneacht a ndearthóirí. Táthar ag súil go mbeidh an dearadh Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe ina rud a bhfuil an-mheas air, a n-ardaítear agus a ghráitear, atá thar a bheith gairmiúil agus nuálach. Ionchorpraíonn an dearadh seo a bhuaigh Duais Cré-umha A' Design Award na cleachtais is fearr san ealaín, san eolaíocht, sa dearadh agus sa teicneolaíocht, agus tá sé sármhaith as a aird ar mhionsonraí. Sásaíonn an dearadh Kaiserstrasse Feidhm Phríomha: Foirgneamh Cónaithe riachtanais go hálainn, bainíonn sé le mianta, cuireann sé draíocht ar mhothúcháin agus tarraingíonn sé fiosracht.

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