Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior PhotographyUrban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, GardenUrban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Stairs, ColumnUrban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, ArchUrban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - More Images+ 22

  • Architects: Sotero Arquitetos
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  36050
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Leonardo Finotti
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  mmcite, Aubicon, Ecopark, Fabrimetal, Latina Iluminação, Trimble, ZWCAD
  • Lead Architects: Adriano Mascarenhas, Eric Cabussu, Helder da Rocha, Kaline Kalil, Técio Martins, George Almeida.
  • Clients: Prefeitura Municipal de Salvador
  • Engineering: Construtora NM Engenharia
  • Restoration Work: Mário Mendonça
  • Artist: Bel Borba
  • Engineering : Edgar Álvares Neto / Helena Spinelli Álvares / Nelson Lima
  • Metalic Structure: Cereno Muniz
  • Ornaments: Rosimeire Amorim Conceição
  • Landscape: Marília Barretto
  • Country: Brazil
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Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Aerial View Photography
© Leonardo Finotti

Text description provided by the architects. The urban requalification of the “Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim” is a project involving the redesign of one of the most important spaces in the city of Salvador da Bahia. It includes three plazas: Praça Teodósio Rodrigues de Faria, Largo do Bonfim and Praça Eusébio de Matos, reaching 36.050,00 m². The site topography depicts a 22 m high difference between levels, which suggests different uses on each one of them. While on its top-level uses are determined by visitors' religious and cultural manifestations, the lowest ones shelter secular programs, such as retail, services, and leisure.

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Aerial View Photography
© Leonardo Finotti
Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Image 17 of 27
Main floor plan
Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Leonardo Finotti

In order to increase the church's symbolic aspect over its immediate surroundings, a requalification of the plaza was necessary to highlight its plaza/church axes, defined by an imaginary line that crosses them longitudinally. Amplifying the plaza limits, a continuous flow along with the church and its staircase was created, which emphasizes the importance of the church over other buildings and unifies them.  

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography
© Leonardo Finotti

Designed by Sotero Arquitetos, the project is remarkable due to the number of complex actions it comprises, which ranges from small to wider scale, urban furniture design to traffic infrastructure deployment and landscape design. The project's goal focuses on the pedestrian experience instead of vehicles, reorganizes the traffic system, and rescues symbolic aspects of such a relevant religious site.  

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Arch
© Leonardo Finotti
Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Image 23 of 27
Bench
Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Stairs, Column
© Leonardo Finotti

Vehicles tracks were lifted to the same level of pedestrians' walk, providing shared paths between vehicles and pedestrians. However, eight pedestrian crossing lines were provided through the route, delivering direct access for pedestrians and wheelchairs. 

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography
© Leonardo Finotti

The site with its constructions been listed by IPHAN, since 1983, and has a large number of equipment, buildings, and public spaces that carry deep religious meaning. Between new buildings and redesigned ones, it is worthy to highlight: the Holy Water chapel, the Candles chapel, open space for celebrations, and the redesign of spaces of leisure, such as the fountain in the major square, stage, space designated for bars and restaurants, new parking lot, playground, accessibility features, reorganization of the road system, including taxis, bikes, public transportation, and sight-seen buses.

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography
© Leonardo Finotti

The role of the Holy Water chapel, alongside the Candles chapel, is to offer visitors access to the Holy water, creating sensorial experiences connected to the chapel materiality and light effect inside the building. The volume, which has only one frontal opening, promotes timelessness and sacredness perceptions that remote to convents cells. 

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Concrete
© Leonardo Finotti

Materials also contribute to rescuing the site history, such as parallelepiped and Portuguese stone floor, with black and white stone compositions, which evoke cultural icons as the strip, or “Bonfim measure”. It has approximately 45 cm and was used as a    template in almost all the projects. 

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography
© Leonardo Finotti

Furthermore, grey granite was used on benches, floor, and stairs finishing, and wood was chosen for streetlight supports and benches. 

Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos - Exterior Photography, Concrete
© Leonardo Finotti

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Project location

Address:Salvador de Bahía - Bahía, Brazil

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Urban Requalification of the Colina Sagrada do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos" [Requalificação da Colina do Senhor do Bonfim / Sotero Arquitetos] 11 Mar 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/935581/urban-requalification-of-the-colina-sagrada-do-senhor-do-bonfim-sotero-arquitetos> ISSN 0719-8884

© Leonardo Finotti

Senhor do Bonfim 圣山城市改造 / Sotero Arquitetos

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