Unbuilt architecture by Decio Tozzi in competitions

• Grant number: 24/10273-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Project
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Tagliari Florio
• Grantee: Luiza Paes de Barros Camara de Lucia Beltramini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The doctoral project proposes to investigate the unbuilt public tender projects by architect Decio Tozzi, focusing on three proposals from public authorities. The research seeks to understand the role of these projects in the work of Tozzi, an important figure in São Paulo and Brutalist architecture. The qualitative methodology combines bibliographic, documentary analysis, and case studies, with redesign, graphic analysis, and digital models of the projects. The hypothesis is that the unbuilt projects are fundamental to the experimentation and development of Tozzi's architectural language. The redesign of these projects elucidates the intellectual and creative structure of the proposals, offering a deeper understanding of Tozzi's design strategies. Donating Tozzi's office collection to the Engineering and Architecture Area Library (BAE) at Unicamp in 2018 makes research viable, providing essential primary materials. The research focuses on three projects: the CREA Headquarters of the 6th Region (1978), the CONFEA Headquarters (1999), and the IPHAN Headquarters (2006). The objective is to investigate and analyze these projects, relating theory and practice to enrich Tozzi's methodological design knowledge, creating unprecedented digital models and contributing to a collection of Brazilian architecture. (AU)