São Paulo, like so many other Brazilian cities, has a standardized, monotonous, and gray architecture, with its aesthetic defined by real estate developers and builders, offering very little architectural value.
To be sure, there are highly significant buildings—including historical downtown classics like the Martinelli Building, modernist examples by Rino Levi and Artacho Jurado in Higienópolis, and contemporary experiments in Vila Madalena designed by Isay Weinfeld and Triptyque. Unfortunately, these examples are few, dwindling to almost zero as we move toward the outskirts.
I am obsessed with the idea that we can change this reality by hacking existing buildings, fostering a new urban identity, boosting civic pride, improving quality of life, and promoting innovation and sustainability at viable costs.
