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Photographs:Nelson Kon
Text description provided by the architects. Architecture Team: Renata Gomes Architect – Coordinator, Casey Mahon Architect, Tatiana Antonelli Architect, Lílian Braga Architect, Luciana Magalhães Architect, Renata Helena de Paula Architect, Cátia Portughesi Zoning, Gabriela Kuntz Admin, Fernando Lima 3D Renderings, Marcelo Ignatios 3D Renderings, Luiz André Lanzuolo Model.
The City of São Paulo in partnership with EditoraAbril, one of the largest publishing houses in Brazil, has recently inaugurated Victor Civita Plaza – Open Museum for Sustainability. Located in a central urban area, at the site of a deactivated garbage incinerator, the project provides São Paulo a new 130,000 square foot leisure area as well as introduces an innovative approach to the revitalization of a contaminated urban area.
The project was launched in 2006, when the local government and Editora Abril established a partnership in order to enable the renewal of the site. Like other post-industrial areas, the existing site was degraded and polluted exemplifying the urban challenge most metropolises now have to face.
Conscious of this issue Anna Dietzsch, in association with Levisky Arquitetos Associados, proposed a design that remediates the contamination and proposes a sustainable solution, incorporating social political, cultural and environmental elements into a productive design.
A deck of certified, recycled Brazilian hardwood sits above the site, supported by steel structure, to minimize contact with the contaminated soil. Like the frame of a ship, the deck unfolds between the horizontal and vertical in a curve, creating places that are defined by the three-dimensionality of the form, great urban rooms that invite public use.
Environmental Sustainability
Floating three feet above the original topography, the deck extends in a lengthy diagonal, emphasizing the natural perspective of the site and inviting the user into an environment of sustainability. Exhibit panels explain the various sustainable processes present in the plaza, including the recycling of wood, examples of plant specimens used for the production of bio-energy and medicine, hydroponic systems, genetic engineering and soil purification. Visitors will also be able to learn about the use of an organic water recycling system used in the plaza.
Financial and Cultural Sustainability
As the result of an innovative public-private partnership, private management of a public site sustains its public use, with some of the uses bringing revenue for financial sustainability. The constituency of an open institution, “Friends of the Plaza”, allow for new partners and sponsorships. The project seeks to promote community involvement and development, offering programs related to education, culture and leisure.
