Holcim Awards winner builds interest at X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo

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    Project update May 2014 – Urban remediation and civic infrastructure hub, São Paulo, Brazil

    The presentation of “Grotão – Fábrica de Música” as part of an exhibition at the X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo exhibition in October/November 2013 includes an impressive model of the project within the favela, showing how the new building serves many purposes including the creation of public space and avoiding mud slides on the steep hill. Photo: Diego Brito

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    The X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo exhibition dedicated to the topic “Making a City, Using a City” runs until November 24, 2013 at the Centro Cultural de São Paulo. Photo: Diego Brito

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    The Holcim Awards winner “Grotão - Fábrica de Música” by Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) on display at the “Making a City, Using a City” exhibition has attracted a lot of attention on how lives can be improved in a mega city, especially for people living in informal settlements. Photo: Diego Brito

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    The model of Grotão in the heart of the Paraisópolis favela of São Paolo is complemented by a series of posters that illustrate the design concept. Photo: Diego Brito

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    The Integral Urban Project (IUP) based in an informal area of Medellín, Colombia by Gustavo Restrepo Lalinde of Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano is displayed in the exhibition adjacent to the Paraisopólis project. Photo: Diego Brito

The Holcim Awards winner Grotão – Fábrica de Música by Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) has attracted a lot of attention on how lives can be improved in a mega city, especially for people living in informal settlements. The project is featured at the X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo exhibition dedicated to the topic “Making a City, Using a City” curated by Guilherme Wisnik, Ana Luiza Nobre, and Ligia Nobre. 

Last updated: October 21, 2013 São Paulo, Brazil

The project in the favela of Paraisopólis won the Global Holcim Awards Silver in 2012 for Alfredo Brillembourg (Venezuela) and Hubert Klumpner (Austria) who jointly Chair the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). The presentation includes an impressive model of the project within the favela, showing how the new building serves many purposes including the creation of public space and avoiding mud slides on the steep hill. The model is complemented by a series of posters that illustrate the design concept.

The X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo exhibition is sponsored by Holcim Brazil and touches on the theme of sustainable construction and urban remediation at the heart of the Grotão – Fábrica de Música and the Holcim Awards competition. Three years earlier, the top Holcim Awards prize for Latin America was won by the Integral Urban Project (IUP) based in an informal area of Medellín, Colombia. This project by Gustavo Restrepo Lalinde of Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano is displayed in the exhibition adjacent to the Paraisopólis project.

The Integral Urban Project (IUP) continues to be implemented at Comuna 13 in Medellín’s north-east. The recently-constructed system of escalators with public squares and balconies addresses serious problems regarding connectivity, security and coexistence. In addition, more than ten public buildings have been completed which provide infrastructure and important spaces for meeting and building social cohesion.

The next Holcim Awards winners for Latin America will gather in Medellín in October 2014 where the 4th International Holcim Awards will be announced. The competition is currently open for projects in architecture, building and civil engineering, landscape and urban design, materials, products and construction technologies that contribute to the five “target issues” for sustainable construction. Registration is open until March 24, 2014 at 14:00hrs GMT.

Exhibition – Cidade, Modos de Fazer, Modos de Usa

X Bienal de Arquitetura de São Paulo : Cidade, Modos de Fazer, Modos de Usa is open until November 24, 2013 at Centro Cultural de São Paulo, R. Vergueiro, 1000 - Paraíso, São Paulo, Brazil.

Further reading

Holcim Foundation Awards

Entries open in two million dollar sustainable construction competition

Zurich, Switzerland