“Building a house takes time and money,“ said Marcio, a local resident of Complexo do Alemão, one of Rio de Janeiro’s numerous favelas, as he showed me around his house. This is why a house is often built over several generations: a floor may be laid, columns erected (rebar protruding), and a thin tin roof placed, but this is just to mark where the next builder should finish the job. “Constructing a roof with tiles is not a sign of wealth here — rather, it means that there’s not enough money to continue constructing the house,” explains Manoe Ruhe, a Dutch urban planner who has lived in the favela for the last six months.
An architect who has always been fascinated by the way people live, I had come to do a residency at Barraco # 55, a cultural center in Complexo do Alemão, in order to learn how its citizens went about building their communities. I had many questions: are there rules of construction? What are the common characteristics of each house? Do they follow the same typology? How are the interiors of the homes? What construction techniques and what materials are used?
The Brazilian coastal city of Fortaleza, one of the host cities for the 2014 Brazil World Cup, will soon be home to one of the world’s largest aquariums. Designed by Leonardo Fontanelle (Imagic Brasil), Acquire Ceará is projected to be the third largest building of its type and is intended to provide a lasting beacon for tourism in the area. Zahner, a US company known for their ability to design and create complex façades (including the Petersen Automotive Museum by Kohn Pedersen Fox) have been tasked with constructing twenty three curving “legs” which support the structure of “the Manta and Sea Urchin-shaped roof surface”. Zahner’s President, William Zahner, believes that “this is perhaps the most intricate building ever constructed in the Americas.”
See Zahner’s prototype and images of the aquarium after the break.
Architects: gmp architekten
Location: Arena da Amazônia, Manaus – Amazonas, 69050-010, Brazil
Architect In Charge: Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Martin Glass
Director Of Gmp Do Brazil: Ralf Amann
Project Management: Martin Glass, Maike Carlsen
Project Management In Brazil: Burkhard Pick, Sander-Christiaan Troost
Team Members: Sophie-Charlotte Altrock, Felipe Bellani, Lena Brögger, Claudia Chiappini, Lieselotte Decker, Barbara Düring, Stephanie Eichelmann, Konstanze Erbe, Silke Flaßnöcker, Priscila Lima da Silva Giersdorf, Elke Glass, Ruthie Gould, Jacqueline Gregorius, Claudio Aceituno Husch, Fa- bian Kirchner, Juliana Kleba-Rizental, Jochen Köhn, Martin Krebes, Helge Lezius, Veit Lieneweg, Ausias Lobatón Ortega, Guilherme Maia, Rodrigo Math- ias Duro Teixeira, Lucia Martinez Rodriguez, Adel Motamedi , Dirk Müller, Dirk Peissl, Ivanka Percovic, Camila Preve, Nicolai Reich, Stefan Saß, Florian Schwarthoff, Fariborz Rahimi, Sara Taberner Bonastre, Sonia Taborda, An- guelica Larocca Troost, Katerine Witte
Photographs: Marcus Bredt
Architects: Gustavo Penna
Location: Praça Central – Paranoá, Brasilia – Federal District, Brazil
Design Team: Alexandre Bragança, Augustin de Tugny, Fernando Arruda Guillen, Norberto Bambozzi
Trainees: Alessandra Valadares, Carolina Soares, Luiza Martini, Paulo Menicucci, Priscila Dias de Araújo, Roberta Vasconcellos
Total Area: 42.000m 2
Area: 7000.0 sqm
Photographs: Casa Digital
Brasilia National Stadium / Castro Mello Arquitetos with gmp architekten + schlaich bergermann und partner
Architects: Castro Mello Arquitetos, gmp architekten, schlaich bergermann und partner
Location: National Stadium of Brazil Mane Garrincha – Brasilia, Federal District, 70070-701, Brazil
Architect In Charge: Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Knut Göppert
Project Manager: Martin Glass
Project Manager Brazil: Robert Hormes
Director Of Gmp Do Brazil: Ralf Amann
Team Members: Ante Bagaric, Holger Betz, Rebecca Born- hauser, Carsten Borucki, Lena Brögger, Martina Maurer-Brusius, Kacarzyna Ciruk, Laura Cruz Lima da Silva, Stefanie Eichelmann, Ruthie Gould, Florian Illenberger, Jochen Köhn, Martin Krebes, Helge Lezius, Tobias Mäscher, Adel Motamedi, Burkhard Pick, Jutta Rentsch Serpa, Lucia Martinez Rodriguez, Maryna Samolyuk, Florian Schwarthoff, Sara Taberner Bonastre
Photographs: Marcus Bredt
Cultura Bookstore / Studio MK27 – Marcio Kogan + Diana Radomysler + Luciana Antunes + Marcio Tanaka + Mariana Ruzante
Architects: Studio MK27 – Marcio Kogan, Diana Radomysler, Luciana Antunes, Marcio Tanaka, Mariana Ruzante
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Architect In Charge: Marcio Kogan
Co Architects: Diana Radomysler . Luciana Antunes . Marcio Tanaka . Mariana Ruzante
Project Team: Carlos Costa . Eline Ostyn . Laura Guedes . Maria Cristina Motta . Mariana Simas . Regiane Leão
Studio Team : Beatriz Meyer . Carolina Castroviejo . Eduardo Chalabi . Eduardo Glycerio . Eduardo Gurian . Elisa Friedmann . Gabriel Kogan . Lair Reis . Oswaldo Pessano . Renata Furlanetto . Samanta Cafardo . Suzana Glogowski
Area: 2500.0 sqm
Photographs: Fernando Guerra – FG+SG
World Cup coverage has brought Brazil to the forefront of the public’s attention. While the country’s hasty construction of 12 massive stadiums has received criticism, this article from Christopher Hawthorne at the LA Times reveals that Brazil is, now more than ever, a hotbed of architectural progress. In light of this, we’ve compiled some of our favorite works from this year’s World Cup host country, including: Tacoa Arquitetos’ Adriana Varejão Gallery, JPGN House by Macedo, Gomes & Sobreira, a welcome center by Rocco, Vidal + arquitetos, and Um House by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Also included is the 360° Building by Isay Weinfeld, Galeria House by MACh Arquitetos, Ipes House by Studio MK27 – Marcio Kogan + Lair Reis, a night club by Muti Randolph + Marcelo Pontes + Zemel + Chalabi Arquitetos, and NITSCHE ARQUITETOS’ Bernard Luis housing condominium. Enjoy!
In celebration of the Brazil World Cup, architect and illustrator André Chiote has created a series of illustrations featuring the tournament’s most iconic stadiums. Comparing the social importance of these stadiums to cathedrals, Chiote believes that “the new architectural objects are landmarks in the cities that will perpetuate in the future as a cultural and social legacy,” and there are few better ways to envision this legacy than to treat the structures with his abstracted, colorful aesthetic – in Brazilian green and yellow, of course. Check out the full illustration set after the break.