Exposed pipes highlighted in architecture are not a novelty. Classics like Centre Pompidou and Sesc Pompeia already adopted infrastructure elements as objects that helped compose the building's aesthetics. Solutions inspired by the industrial architecture of the 50s, urging to remodel industrial sheds for other uses, made their facilities apparent to make the work more cost-effective and less complex. After a few decades, we find this idea at different scales.
Electricity, water, and gas services are part of an urban network infrastructure that reaches our homes. They are fundamental elements for contemporary life, distributed through ducts or pipes in buildings, which can be hidden in the walls or external to them. This strategy aims to facilitate installation and maintenance, so when it is necessary to handle the pipes or cables and make any adaptation, no major intervention like renovations or demolitions is required. In addition, choosing the material, defining its color, and planning the route of the ducts are some of the decisions that are part of the project process of the exposed installations, which can provide more rhythm and personality to the space. Check out ten Brazilian apartments that benefit from exposed facilities below.
