Public spaces and the architect: case study of Victor Civita square

• Grant number: 15/21824-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2016
• End date: April 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: José Eduardo de Assis Lefèvre
• Grantee: Julia Kahvedjian Amadio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project focuses on the analysis of a recently completed contemporary public space in São Paulo, which is the Praça Victor Civita, following as a principle the geographical research methodology proposed by Prof. Milton Santos for the analysis of urban spaces, incorporating the architectural approach, in order to understand its insertion in the city of São Paulo and the role played by the architects responsible for the design. Praça Victor Civita was designed in 2006, as a result of a partnership between the city of São Paulo and Editora Abril, with the fundamental intermediation of architects Adriana Blay Levisky and Anna Julia Dietzsch, to retrieve the remnants of an ancient garbage incinerator located near the center of the neighborhood of Pinheiros and integrate them into a new space open to the public. In addition to the abandonment and deterioration of the incinerator building, the land on which it was located was contaminated by toxic products, representing a hard burden to its owner, the City Hall. The proximity to the new headquarters of Editora Abril, located exactly at the same street, opposite the grounds of the old incinerator, was decisive for the Publisher to sponsor the reclamation project recuperation of the area as an element of appreciation of its public image, in addition to enabling the creation of a leisure and recreation area for its large number of employees. The more open relationship of a corporation with the urban environment in which it is located, with the creation of a space opened to public use is, without doubt, a counterpoint to the current culture of fencing private areas. The architects Adriana Levisky and Anna Dietzsch developed an exemplary project from the point of view of environmental recuperation, adopting ecological and sustainable solutions. The programme of activities envisaged for the new space encompasses a range of cultural, educational and contemplative activities, which have been very successful in terms of public attendance. The quality of the architectural project was a very important factor for such achievement. The location of the Praça Victor Civita, in addition to the proximity of the building of the sponsoring company, benefits from the proximity of the Pinheiros intermodal terminal, integrated by the Metro and urban railway stations and city buses, as well as of the entire trade and services located in the vicinity of the center of Pinheiros. The development of the present research is divided into a few stages: bibliographical research on contemporary issues of public spaces in general and of the chosen case study in particular, documentary research on the design and implementation of Praça Victor Civita and interviews with those responsible for the design and implementation of work; visits to the place of study and field research; analyzing all data obtained and reporting the results. Asset management of the urban environment presents itself as one of the main challenges in the contemporary city, and the study of a design that adopts as a guideline the environmental recuperation of an area may be very fruitful for the development of future work.