Situated on one of Manaus’s main avenues, VIPE 201 emerges as an internal initiative by VIPE Arquitetura. Conceived as both a manifesto and a working space, the building embodies the firm’s commitment to delivering innovative architecture with a sensitive response to the tropical climate. Conceived as the firm’s own headquarters, the building consolidates over a decade of practice into a space that embodies VIPE’s vision of contemporary architecture: innovative in form, pragmatic in construction, and deeply attentive to climate and context. While the project accommodates other commercial functions and holds potential for mixed-use, the office program remains the primary and defining element of the building, shaping its identity and character. From the outset, the design sought to create an architecture that would age gracefully, developing a balanced dialogue with time. Rather than striving for rigid aesthetic control, the project embraces the natural patina of materials, making change and unpredictability integral to its character while reducing maintenance needs. Prefabricated concrete elements, Corten steel panels, and lush vertical vegetation define the architectural language, combining elegance with efficiency and enabling rapid execution.
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VIPE 201
Office Building (Built)
Firm
VIPE Arquitetura
Architect/Designer
Vitor Pessoa
Design Team
Jéssica Vitoriano, Danilo Medeiros, Renan Marques, Acácia Souza, Ailyme Buriche, Leticia Rodrigues, Sarah Bícego
Location
Amazonas, Brazil
Country
Brazil
Photographer/Copyright
©Joana França
Social Media Handles:
Website
https://www.vipearquitetura.com.br/
Structurally, the building is supported by six pillars and three post-tensioned flat slabs, the design maximizes spatial freedom. The western façade, exposed to intense sunlight, is protected by prefabricated brise-soleil that provide shading and allow recessed glass planes. These transparent surfaces define the office interiors while preserving visual continuity between inside and outside, reinforcing the constant dialogue between building and city. The second floor is the heart of the project. The layout includes a reception, lounge, open workstations, meeting room, pantry, restrooms, storage, and an outdoor relaxation area. This level was carefully designed to support the dynamics of architectural practice, promoting interaction among team members while also offering quiet spaces for reflection. The open-plan structure ensures flexibility, allowing the office to adapt as the practice grows and evolves. The ground floor, with its double-height ceiling, offers a reception, waiting hall, café, commercial spaces, and service areas, creating a welcoming interface with the city. The first floor includes nine additional commercial units and waiting areas, expanding the building’s functionality and economic viability.
The perforations on the ground-floor Corten panels evoke the story of a natural cycle rooted in the Amazon waters: the seasonal rise and fall of the river. This narrative extends throughout the building, celebrating the beauty of Brazilian nature while aligning with its environmental strategies. Openings at slab extremities bring sunlight to planters and climbing vegetation, skylights ventilate service areas, and solar panels enhance energy performance. The façades come alive with greenery—Thunbergia, Philodendron, Syngonium, Jabuticaba trees, Callisia repens, and Allamanda—seamlessly integrating the architecture into the tropical landscape and connecting it to the neighborhood’s vegetation. Ultimately, VIPE 201 is more than an office building; it is a living manifesto of the practice itself. It demonstrates how architecture can be flexible yet precise, resilient yet elegant, rooted in place and time—a space that embodies the firm’s values, inspires its team, and contributes to the evolving urban fabric of Manaus.
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