Unique’s spacey, green copper façade alone makes it a hotel like any no other. Located in the well-heeled residential area of Jardins and just meters from Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo’s largest green area, the building sits graciously amid its surroundings like a great ocean liner.

Dark glass and a desert garden of mini, sand-toned cubes of rock, palms and agaves are the first impressions Hotel Unique offers. Dramatically high internal spaces like the lobby are illuminated by walls of beige marble, and sharp, geometric themes make the spectacle even grander. A carefully choreographed spectrum of circles and squares, ellipses and curves is softened by wood floors, sleek white furnishings and transparent fittings.

The rooftop terrace and luxurious Skye Bar & Restaurant provides an amazing view of the city—if you can manage to take your eyes off the fascinating red-lit swimming pool. All in all, Ruy Ohtake and Joao Armentano’s design is truly inspirational: on an aesthetic level—if nothing else—Hotel Unique more than lives up to its name.