SuperLimão Studio have designed a honeycomb inspired facade, full of hexagonal shapes, for the Estar Móveis shop in São Paulo, Brazil. The studio has treated the façade with a hexagonal honeycomb like structure of powder-coated steel in gunmetal grey with some of the hexagons perforated to help protect the upscale goods from the harsh tropical sun. Inside the highly textured finishes are much more rough and unrefined and speak to the original character of the building. This façade is an interesting and bespoke addition to the existing building breathing new life into the shopping strip. The design studio has cleverly used natural light through an enormous opaque roof lantern and the use of a glass floor directly below circulates this light to the lower levels. The building had 10 small windows and after a study it was decided to make a great opening on the facade using an auxiliary metal structure in a place clearly visible for pedestrians and also to who drives by this busy street.
A honeycomb inspired the hexagonal shape on the facade and this shape allows a better solution for planes and curves situation. The coating was used in some moments in an opaque way and in others as semi-translucent, evoking movement between straight and curved angles. At the same time, shaping the openings sometimes explicit like in the main window and it alludes itself more discretely at times to incite visitation. The masonry was peeled and exposed crudely and the lighting uses the preexisting structure to its fixation, bringing the highest flexibility possible for the product exhibition at the store. Old existent bricks were kept making a conversation between new and old materials.
