What is the potential of the void? For architect Carlos M. Teixeira, it is a field of study, work, and fascination that he has explored for over two decades. This sensitive perspective on the possibilities of the unbuilt environment gave rise to the book Em Obras: História do Vazio em Belo Horizonte, the second, revised and expanded edition of which hits shelves this month. In this publication, Teixeira proposes a new approach to cities, focusing not on buildings, but on spaces with the potential to rethink how people relate to the urban environment, viewing public space as a field for social and environmental transformation.
Originally released in 1999, the book introduced a fresh perspective on cities. Influenced by contemporary photography, the author began to observe the interest of photographer-artists in documenting and describing the transformations of large cities—and how, through photography, it was also possible to highlight the beauty and the multiplicity of paths existing within the increasingly rare voids of the city.
