CONCEPT

Imbiara, indigenous word, way of the waters. From these waters comes salt, food for the cattle that once passed through there. The ore that comes from the soils emerges in these waters, medicinally known. Paths that intersect around water, the greatest asset in the world today. The water reflects the sky, the moon and the sun. Sun that is first seen from this place – Araxá.

​

Praça Coronel Adolpho is the birthplace of the city, whose axis, Avenida Antônio Carlos, takes us to the waterway. The building fits into the context, strengthening this axis. It buries itself in the ground, elevating and valuing history. It leads the user to the contemplation of the genuine and original of the surroundings. It also surprises you with a “good view” along Rua Presidente Olegário Maciel.

​

AVENUE ANTÔNIO CARLOS

The main idea of our project is to strengthen the axis of Avenida Antônio Carlos: the creation of the central walkway refers to the surroundings, highlighting the views that still keep the memory of the city. This route culminates in Praça Coronel Adolpho, recovering its value as a public space for conviviality and contemplation.

​

The central and free path prioritizes pedestrians, creating a directed and comfortable flow, protected by a tree-lined line that indicates the alignment of the Igreja Matriz de São Domingos with Christ the Redeemer. To clear the way and the landscape, the stands of books, magazines, watchmakers, taxi and bus stops were relocated to the side sidewalks, where new facilities are intended to be created for all these activities.

​

As for the building of the old bus station, considered by the Council of Historical Heritage as de-characterized and subject to demolition, its removal will be proposed. This building was built to house the city's bus station, however, undersized, it quickly failed to meet the demands of the city's growth and was, for years, occupied by sectors of the public administration.

​

Today, problems related to traffic continue and are intensified by the large increase in the flow of vehicles and pedestrians. As a solution to this conflict, in addition to the central footbridge, there is the widening of the side sidewalks and the displacement of vehicle returns, excluding the intersections of the avenue with the transversal streets. These turns receive the same treatment as the footbridge in relation to the floor, signaling slow traffic to the driver.

​

The central walkway ends in a viewpoint that lands on a reflecting pool, under which the theater is located. The building is inserted in order to privilege the surroundings, through a partially buried implantation. The volume that emerges from the ground opens onto an esplanade, allowing for the holding of two simultaneous events or a larger one, integrating the interior of the theater and the exterior – the square.

The square, then, resumes its role of bringing together people, both Araxa citizens and tourists, who will have one more attraction to discover the historic center of Araxá.

​

RUA PRESIDENTE OLEGÁRIO MACIEL (“BOA VISTA”)

The first block of the old Rua Boa Vista, also the object of the project to revitalize the center of Araxá, is integrated with Avenida Antônio Carlos by privileging the use of pedestrians and creating a pleasant environment. Visual pollution, caused by the profusion of advertising boards, the wiring of lighting poles and even the intense concentration of vehicles on the road, is excluded.

​

The road now serves pedestrians, with loading and unloading schedules for commercial establishments. The stone floor itself denotes its restrictive character. There is no differentiation between sidewalk and lane, and the circulation of pedestrians is free. Social interaction is rescued and commercial activity is encouraged as the route becomes comfortable and inviting.

​

Underground wiring is essential for the visual quality of the environment. The new poles serve only public lighting. They are part of a set of urban furniture, made up of benches and tree-lined caches. The entire design of the furniture respects the layout of the floor, whose configuration is referenced in the properties on the road.

​

The care of the project is still in the search for historical-architectural references, such as the cinema, the cultural center and other cultural assets. We seek to dialogue with the pre-existing and provide the appreciation of the cultural heritage of Araxá.

​

Architecture

Gustavo Penna, Norberto Bambozzi, Laura Penna, Priscila Dias de Araújo, Letícia de Paula Carneiro, Vivian Hunnicutt, Alyne Ferreira, Natália Ponciano, Catarina Hermanny, Alice Leite Flores, Ana Isabel de Sá, Cíntia Honorato Santos, Marcus Martins, Hiromi Sassaki

​

Management and Planning

Risia Botrel and Isabela Tolentino 

​

Place

Araxá – Minas Gerais – Brazil

 

Technical Data
Year of the project: 2010/2011

Year of completion of the work: 2013
Built area: 23,400m²

Photos

Jomar Bragança