Articles

The Industrial Workers' Retirement and Pension Institute (IAPI) commissioned the prominent Rio de Janeiro architect Paulo Antunes Ribeiro, national president of the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB) in the 1950s, to design this project in the industrial neighborhood of Mooca, an area already highly consolidated by the 1940s. Occupying a large urban void, the housing complex consists of seventeen blocks arranged to follow a rational layout, though without the same geometric rigor that Attilio Corrêa Lima had adopted at Várzea do Carmo. Within Mooca's fragmented urban fabric, Ribeiro introduced a modern urban design that eliminated traditional subdivision lots, creating a large public space where the blocks are integrated into green areas.

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On this October 4th, National Landscape Architect Day, it is worth reflecting on the following question: What is the importance of landscape design? A seemingly simple question, yet one with a surprising answer. Landscape architecture is the tool with the greatest potential to transform our cities and, consequently, how contemporary society relates to nature.

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Architecture and urbanism are ways of materializing what is to come. Yet, how can we design a common future while keeping this future open to new meanings and in constant motion, driven by the subjects who appropriate it? How can architects understand themselves as part of the movement to revalue collective spaces? How can we use this tool to distribute power—building direct democracy and free behavior through participation in everyday life? How can we recognize relationship as a tool for constructing an architecture of freedom?

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The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 as part of a global agenda aimed at implementing public policies to guide humanity toward a sustainable future by 2030.

According to the organization, the goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They address a wide range of issues, including health, education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, sustainable consumption and production, the protection and sustainable use of oceans and terrestrial ecosystems, and inclusive economic growth.

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While there is a certain lack of theoretical definition regarding the limits and scope of the term "Brutalist," there are certain constants in its aesthetic parameters that allow us to establish a relatively concrete line of analysis. In this context, Brutalist buildings—a style of the Modern Movement that experienced its boom between the 1950s and 1970s—are characterized by their tectonic honesty, exposing the materials of construction along with their structural and building logic, geometric forms, and rough surfaces. Reinforced concrete emerges as the primary material of choice; both the textures left by rough timber formwork and the imperfections of the concrete itself are no longer concealed by plaster or paint, but are deliberately displayed to highlight the building processes.

The original plan for the Várzea do Carmo Housing Complex, developed by a team from the Industrial Workers' Retirement and Pensions Institute (IAPI) and coordinated by the architect and urban planner Attilio Corrêa Lima, is one of the most avant-garde proposals of the period discussed in this book. Its urban planning, radically modern and rationalist, goes beyond established models of residential neighborhoods: it proposes creating an urban centrality with a working-class housing complex as its starting point.

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Historically, bamboo has been used as a raw material in traditional low-income construction, serving as a substitute for other woods to build structures, cabinetry, and even furniture. Today, due to its numerous advantages regarding durability, strength, versatility, and low environmental impact, it has earned the moniker "vegetal steel," securing a privileged place in the construction industry. The current search for sustainable development materials has generated new construction fusions that bring contemporary materials and techniques into play with traditional elements, merging and highlighting the unique qualities of materials from each region.

Just like us, words have a history. The word cure comes from Latin and is linked to the act of caring. This same root gives rise to the word *curator*, the person responsible for a collection or an institution, for example. Meanwhile, care, in the medical sense, was perhaps first described by Celsus: In hoc casu medici cura esse debet, ut morbum mutet (In this case, medical care is indicated to change the course of the disease) [1]. Today, when we think of a cure, we often speak of it as an isolated event within a given treatment. A cure for the flu. A cure for cancer. A cure for the novel coronavirus. A finish line that ends a journey. However, it is important to think of healing as a process that depends on multiple factors.

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With a land area of over 8.5 million square kilometers, Brazil is a country of immense geographic diversity, with climates that vary from region to region. Consequently, natural ventilation strategies in architecture must be analyzed based on local specificities, requiring an analysis of topography, climate, surroundings, and wind patterns, alongside the study of the architectural design itself.

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Most real estate brochures proudly showcase a specific feature: the gourmet balcony. Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps these spaces, typically equipped with a barbecue grill, say more about real estate speculation than about the actual barbecue culture in Brazil?

The topic of mobility is inescapable when discussing urban policy—even more so in an election year. Public transit, congestion pricing, subways, dedicated bus lanes, and even what to do with electric scooters dominate the debate. Few, however, pay attention to one of the most critical municipal policies for urban mobility: public parking.

Combining analytical diagnosis with actionable recommendations, the study “A Cidade Estacionada” focused its lens on curb management in the city of São Paulo. By analyzing the discrepancies between public and private parking prices, as well as comparing these rates with the evolution of public transit fares, “A Cidade Estacionada” brought to light the negative social and environmental externalities of public policies that favor private motorized transport.

October 16 marks World Food Day. On this same day in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was established, and since 1981, the date has been observed to shed light on issues of food access and the promotion of healthy diets for all.

To draw an important parallel between architecture, urban planning, and food-related issues, we have curated a selection of articles demonstrating how architectural and urban design can promote greater food security. 

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Have you ever thought about walking? This is the question that GUIAPÉ SP — a guide presented here through an essay — asks its readers. From the cover on, it proposes walking through the city of São Paulo, charting a route that strategically passes through places where arriving on foot is precisely the point, revealing overlooked details, people, and urban life. This guide was not made for sightseeing, but rather to take its readers on a journey. Within its pages, the route and the sidewalks are not merely paths leading to destinations; they are part of the journey itself.

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Living, working, and experiencing cities with vibrant streets, downtowns, and parks, adequately sized sidewalks, efficient public transit, and low congestion levels are shared aspirations worldwide. Achieving these conditions is no easy task, and cities that offer them certainly did not do so through car-oriented planning.

With populations daily subjected to poor examples of how a city should function, certain paradigms, phenomena, and policies continue to hinder the planning and operation of “cities for people.”

Although concrete is one of the most widely used building materials in the world, thanks to its durability, versatility, and weather resistance, we must not forget that the concrete industry is one of the largest CO2 emitters in the construction sector. Consequently, over the past few years, many architects have begun to experiment with new possibilities to optimize its performance, leveraging its technical advantages while seeking to address some of its environmental drawbacks. As a result, some designers have begun exploring the possibility of replacing traditional wooden formwork with more sustainable materials like bamboo—a plant that grows abundantly across most of the world and offers high-quality textured finishes with a low environmental impact.

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This development, conceived and initiated during the administration of João Goulart, can be considered an example of the transition between the former management of the IAPB [Bank Workers' Retirement and Pension Institute] and the new housing policy that began to be implemented in 1964.

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The study of architecture and its relationship to daily life and gender has prompted researchers to seek new sources and expand the analysis of their ideas and achievements. This essay explores the female presence in urban spaces through fragments of daily life gathered from columns, news reports, and advertisements published in the newspaper *O Estado de São Paulo*.

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Criticism of the most common models of social housing (HIS) in Brazil is quite frequent. Indeed, these critiques are generally well-founded, given the architectural and urbanistic deficiencies of most completed developments—particularly those built in areas far from urban centers, which deny residents their right to the city.

There are, however, successful examples: projects built on the premises of access to urban infrastructure, connectivity with the immediate surroundings, construction efficiency, environmental comfort, and healthy living conditions inside the housing units. Below, we have compiled six examples of social housing—designed by Biselli Katchborian Arquitetos, Jirau Arquitetura, MMBB Arquitetos, H+F Arquitetos, Boldarini Arquitetura e Urbanismo, and Vigliecca & Associados—that offer compelling solutions to such a complex and delicate program.

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