Advertising Agency

The Advertising Agency by architect Luiza Franceschi turns a tight 5m by 20m plot in Curitiba, Brazil into a workplace flooded with natural light. The narrow lot posed a familiar question for urban infill design: how do you bring daylight and fresh air into spaces that have neighbours pressing in on both long sides? Franceschi answered it with a courtyard and a zenithal opening that draw light deep into the building.

Long, narrow sites are common in dense city blocks, where parcels were historically subdivided for shopfronts. Their proportions leave only the short street and rear faces open to the outside, so the middle of the plan risks becoming dark and stale. A central courtyard is one of the oldest and most reliable remedies, carving an open void through the section so every room can face onto light and air rather than a blank party wall.

Light and air on a slender plot

The second device, a zenithal or top-mounted skylight, works where a courtyard alone cannot reach. By admitting light from above, it washes the interior with even, glare-free illumination and lets the brightest part of the day fall on circulation and shared zones. Together the courtyard and the overhead opening turn the building’s depth into an advantage, letting daylighting reach all of the spaces instead of only the ends.

The two openings also set up natural ventilation. Warm air rises and escapes through the upper aperture while cooler air is drawn in lower down, a stack effect that keeps the rooms comfortable without leaning heavily on mechanical systems. For an agency interior, where teams move between focused desk work and collaborative meetings, that steady supply of light and air supports a healthier, more pleasant atmosphere through the working day.

Curitiba has a long reputation for thoughtful urban planning, and small projects like this one show how careful sectional design can lift an ordinary commercial lot. By reading the constraints of the plot honestly and answering them with a courtyard and a zenithal opening, Luiza Franceschi makes a slender building feel open and generous. It is a clear lesson in how light, rather than floor area, can define the quality of a workspace in Curitiba.