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- Harmonia 57This artists' atelier and office building in São Paulo, Brazil features a facade covered in plants sustained by a network of tubes that provide mist at regular intervals. Designed by <a href="http://triptyque.com/" target="_blank">Triptyque</a> and dubbed <a href="http://www.triptyque.com/harmonia/" target="_blank">Harmonia 57</a>, the unique office building is set amidst a creative neighborhood on the west side of São Paulo. Two volumes make up the building, which is clad in a porous concrete skin with pockets for plants. A complex water recycling network collects rainwater and grey water for use in irrigation and toilets, while a <a href="https://www.inhabitat.com/green-roof" target="_blank">green roof</a> helps minimize storm water runoff.1
- Harmonia 57The artists' atelier and office building features a facade covered in plants and wrapped in a network of tubes that provide mist at regular intervals.2
- Harmonia 57The unique office building is set amidst a creative neighborhood on the west side of São Paulo.3
- Harmonia 57A complex water water network collects rainwater and grey water and recycles it for use as irrigation and toilets, while a green roof helps minimize storm water runoff.4
- Harmonia 57A misting system supplied by recycled water irrigates the plants on the facade.5
- Harmonia 57Large windows, operable shutters, and terraces provide daylight into the interior spaces and lend the building a feeling of lightness.6
- Harmonia 57Two volumes make up the building, which is clad in a porous concrete skin with pockets for plants.7
- Harmonia 57The office building and artist atelier was completed in 2008 and recently won the 2010 'Built Environment' award from the Zumtobel Group.8
- Harmonia 57The front volume is raised and rests on pillars, while the back volume is on a solid foundation and includes a 'bird-like' feature on the roof.9
- Harmonia 57Porous concrete is used for the facade of the building, which is covered in plants set into pore-like niches and irrigated by a misting system.10
- Harmonia 57Rainwater is collected from the green roof and grey water is recycled to provide water for toilet flushing and irrigation.11
- Harmonia 57The network of pipes is integrated into the architecture as an aesthetic feature as well as a functional one -- for example, water pipes are used as handrails along staircases.12
- Harmonia 57 - ElevationThe <a href="https://inhabitat.com/gargantuan-living-wall-with-10000-plants-completed-in-canada/" target="_blank">living wall</a> and green roof act as a buffering skin for the building and serve to insulate the interiors and reduce noise. Plants were chosen based upon both their aesthetics and growing capabilities - some were chosen to provide shade, while others crawl over the surface of the building providing a layer of humidity for other plants.13
- Harmonia 57 - Water RecyclingThis diagram explains the complex network of piping, tubes, water collection, and recycling.14