Condomínio Praia Guinle — São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro

About the building

Praia Guinle occupies a 13,000 m² oceanfront plot in São Conrado that once belonged to the Guinle family, one of Rio's great industrial dynasties. Its three 15-story towers each carry the name of a Brazilian artist or sculptor — Bruno Giorgi, Manabu Mabe and Ascânio Brennand. You get direct beach access, the Atlantic in front and Pedra da Gávea rising behind.

Apartments range from roughly 222 to 1,094 m², with three- and four-bedroom layouts and up to three suites. São Conrado stays quieter and less dense than Zona Sul — hemmed in by the ocean, Pedra da Gávea and the Rocinha hillside — which has helped keep this one of Rio's steadiest oceanfront addresses.

Address: Av. Prefeito Mendes de Moraes 1400, São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro

History

Construction started in the early 1980s and the condominium opened in 1985, on land that had been Guinle family property — the same family tied to the Copacabana Palace and a good chunk of Rio's early-20th-century industrial wealth. The developers Patrimóvel and Gomes de Almeida Fernandes joined forces to launch what was billed as São Conrado's first luxury condominium.

Its towers were named for Brazilian modernist artists — sculptor Bruno Giorgi, Japanese-Brazilian painter Manabu Mabe, and the Brennand name — a deliberate cultural gesture. Through the 2010s the complex went through major upgrades, including new elevators, generators and a full façade restoration, while keeping its 1980s architectural look.

In photos

Historic view of São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro — the setting of this building in earlier decades — São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro · Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Notable residents

Romário The World Cup-winning striker turned Brazilian senator owned a penthouse in the condominium.
João Figueiredo The last president of Brazil's military government lived in the complex.
Gilberto Gil The Tropicália singer-songwriter and former Brazilian culture minister was among its residents.
Luciano Huck The Globo TV host is among the public figures who have lived there.