Conjunto Habitacional IAPI Lagoinha, Modernist residential complex in São Cristóvão, Brazil.
The Conjunto Habitacional IAPI Lagoinha is a modernist residential complex with nine building blocks connected by pathways across multiple elevation levels. It houses nearly 1,000 apartments of varying sizes along with community facilities such as sports courts and shops distributed throughout the site.
Inaugurated in 1948, the complex was commissioned by Mayor Juscelino Kubitschek as part of efforts to provide modern housing for more people. It became an influential model for residential development in Brazil during the modernist period.
The design creates shared outdoor spaces where residents naturally gather and interact throughout the day. These communal areas remain central to how people experience life in the complex.
The complex is best explored on foot since the different elevation levels are connected by stairs and ramps throughout. Taking your time to walk around allows you to observe how residents use the shared spaces and how the buildings relate to one another.
Each apartment originally included a small balcony-garden space, yet many residents have gradually enclosed these areas to create extra indoor rooms. These alterations reveal how inhabitants adapt their homes to meet their own specific needs over time.
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