Niemeyer’s modernism celebrated in Oscar Ibirapuera, an example of 21st-century São Paulo living
Perkins&Will completes Oscar Ibirapuera, next to Niemeyer’s modernist landmark park in São Paulo, Brazil

Perkins&Will has launched Oscar Ibirapuera, a new residential offering in São Paulo, located a stone’s throw from Niemeyer’s landmark namesake park project. The housing scheme, comprising a complex of high rises and a ground level designed for greenery, communal areas and social activity, takes the grand master's modernist architecture teachings and gives them a 21st-century twist, offering a fresh vision of living in the Brazilian metropolis.
Perkins&Will on Niemeyer’s Oscar Ibirapuera
Completed in 1954, the Ibirapuera Park by Oscar Niemeyer is a well-known part of the Brazilian modernist's legacy. Perkins&Will was appointed to create Oscar Ibirapuera, placed on the green expanse’s borders, blending its verdant nature with a high-end living proposition.
Commissioned by property developer Trisul, the project includes apartments spanning 186 sq m, 227 sq m and 233 sq m, featuring three or four bedrooms and up to four en suites.
'The floor plan was conceived so that the living room could [include] 9m at its front completely devoid of pillars, providing a panoramic view of Ibirapuera, something unique in the city,' says Douglas Tolaine, design director at Perkins&Will.
Communal areas – all expertly designed by architect Fernanda Marques – are equally well thought out, ranging from a luxuriously double-height gourmet party room, outdoor and indoor pools, a solarium, dry and wet saunas, a spa, a fitness room, a pilates room, a playground, a playroom, a game room and a bike rack.
Features throughout Oscar Ibirapuera draw on Brazilian midcentury modernism styles – movable brises-soleils on the façades, timber panels, white-coloured render and soft, curved forms, all gently nod to Niemeyer's work.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Premium pocketable audio scales up with the new SP4000 from Astell&Kern
The Astell&Kern A&ultima SP4000 is a serious piece of audiophile equipment, a high-res portable player that offers endless ways to shape your listening experience
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurants
Part of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the Med
Photographed in a Mallorcan residence designed by local studio Munarq, these new sculptural mirrors by New York furniture company Ready To Hang are inspired by the sea
-
La Maison de la Baie de l’Ours melds modernism into the shores of a Québécois lake
ACDF Architecture’s grand family retreat in Quebec offers a series of flowing living spaces and private bedrooms beneath a monumental wooden roof
-
A rammed-earth house near Brasília pairs the traditional technique with contemporary forms
Valéria Gontijo + Architects has completed Casa Taipa, pairing earthy tones and natural materials with refined design and a generous floorplan
-
This cinematic home in Palm Springs sets a new standard for Desert Modern design
Jill Lewis Architecture and landscape architecture firm Hoerr Schaudt joined forces to envision an exceptional sanctuary
-
Hilborn House, one of Arthur Erickson’s few residential projects, is now on the market
The home, first sketched on an envelope at Montreal Airport, feels like a museum of modernist shapes, natural materials and indoor-outdoor living
-
Experience the profound power of the Brumadinho Memorial, honouring the victims of Brazil’s mining tragedy
A deeply moving memorial by Gustavo Penna creates a space for collective mourning and remembrance in Brumadiño, Brazil
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twice
So transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
Maison Louis Carré, the only Alvar Aalto house in France, reopens after restoration
Designed by the modernist architect in the 1950s as the home of art dealer Louis Carré, the newly restored property is now open to visit again – take our tour
-
We spent the night at Indian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in Nagaj
Indian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in Nagaj exemplifies their approach to architecture; architect and writer Nipun Prabhakar spends the night and tells the story