In São Paulo’s concrete jungle, Salma Tower rises not just as a corporate landmark — but as a vertical forest engineered for regeneration, wellness, and net-zero ambition.
Information and Images: aflalo/gasperini arquitetos
A Forest in the Sky
In the heart of São Paulo’s Bela Vista district, Salma Tower redefines the commercial office typology. Designed by aflalo/gasperini arquitetos, this Triple-A corporate tower is not merely a workplace — it’s a suspended ecosystem, integrating 1,200 square meters of native Atlantic Forest across 16 floors. The smart building sets a new benchmark for biophilic design in the Southern Hemisphere.
The façade is more than a visual statement. It’s a living envelope. Spiral green terraces wrap the building’s core, creating a vertical forest that functions as both climate buffer and acoustic shield. These terraces — embedded with fruit trees and native vegetation — are not ornamental. They are engineered to regulate temperature, filter air and support biodiversity. The result is a building envelope that performs as a natural insulator, reducing energy loads while enhancing occupant comfort.
Salma Tower’s LEED Platinum certification confirms its environmental credentials, but the innovation runs deeper. The building’s open ground floor — free of walls and railings — invites urban permeability. It connects three surrounding streets, activating the public realm with retail and hospitality. This gesture transforms the tower from a private asset into a civic contributor, aligning architecture with mobility and community.
Envelope as Ecosystem
The tower’s 80-meter height is articulated through 16 storeys, each with generous 4.68-meter floor-to-floor heights. This spatial generosity allows for double-height garden terraces that spiral upward, creating a continuous green ribbon. These terraces are not retrofits or add-ons — they are integral to the building’s structural and environmental logic.
By leveraging São Paulo’s Terraces Law, the design dedicates 5% of the land area to hanging gardens. This legal framework becomes a catalyst for innovation, enabling the largest integration of native forest and urban architecture in Brazil. The building’s envelope is no longer a barrier between inside and out — it’s a porous membrane that breathes, shades, and shelters.
The technical performance of the façade is matched by its sensory impact. A full-scale mockup of the forest terrace was built during design development to test light, airflow, and spatial quality. This empirical approach ensures that the building delivers not just metrics, but experience. Tenants encounter birdsong, forest breezes, and filtered light — elements proven to enhance mental health and productivity.
A Model for Regenerative Workspaces
Salma Tower is not a prototype. It’s a precedent. In a global context where commercial buildings are being re-evaluated for their carbon impact and human cost, this project offers a viable model for regenerative urbanism. It demonstrates that high-performance office towers can contribute to healthier inner cities and support the global quest for net-zero carbon.
The building’s 36,616 square meters of area are distributed with precision, balancing density with openness. Its integration of landscape, architecture, and urbanism reflects aflalo/gasperini’s broader ethos — one that prioritizes environmental stewardship, mobility, and quality of life. With over 39 LEED-certified projects in their portfolio, the firm brings both legacy and leadership to the challenge of designing for a changing climate.
Salma Tower is a commercial building, but its ambition is civic. It invites a new kind of tenant — one that values wellness, sustainability, and sensory connection. It’s not just about working in a forest. It’s about working with one, creating a place where productivity meets nature’s tempo, and where the skyline grows new roots.
