Faria Lima

Faria Lima

A Cultural Interplay of Light, Water, and Color
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"3000","speed":"300","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationSao Paulo, Brazil
ClientFaria Lima Prime Properties
Size4.25 acres

A new office tower, theater and café pavilion known as Alameda is being built in the high end district of downtown Sao Paulo; the centerpiece of the site design is the Alameda civic plaza. Lifted gently above the street level, four generous steps invite visitors to enter and explore the plaza while branded light pylons at all major entrances serve as place markers defining the boundary of the new development. An illuminated water feature of fountain jets and fog erupts from the organic patterned “Art Carpet” at the center of the plaza. Set in a field of mottled grey granite pavers, the dramatic pattern of deep blue and white tiles evokes the rich history of Brazil’s mosaic art tradition. For plaza events, the water feature can be diminished or turned off for additional gathering space.

An illuminated “Runnel of Light” weaves through the Art Carpet, past the theater, along the length of the Alameda, emulating Brazil’s ecology in abstracted form. This light stream guides visitors through the plaza and serves as an interpretive element, drawing from the site’s natural past. The terminus of the Runnel of Light is Memorial Wall, honoring those who worked on the plaza.

A raised lawn plateau bordered by granite steps and illuminated seat walls provides elevated views from among a grove of palms. An adjacent shade pavilion acts as both a beacon to enter the plaza and a shelter for refreshments. Seating areas are provided among ornamental gardens located throughout the site. Wood decks shaded by trees and containing cafe style seating are accessible at the ground floor of the buildings and feature installations of sculpture. Throughout the site a one-meter-high illuminated red wall provides dramatic framing of the gardens and conceals undesirable views.

Related Projects

Kasumigaseki Plaza Renewal

The Kasumigaseki building is Tokyo’s first high-rise and architectural landmark, located in the heart of downtown Tokyo where government as well as major private business offices are concentrated. Urban growth changed the dynamics of the building’s surroundings and left its public spaces ineffective and barren. The addition of new mixed-use building provided t...

SIPG Harbor City Parks

This new riverfront development is located on the Yangtze River in the Baoshan District of Shanghai. This area boasts some of the highest shipping activity in the world. However, in recent years this single-function industrial zone has given way, allowing for waterfront parks to develop. Within this historically layered water front the Baoshan Park and Open Sp...

Residences at W New York Downtown

The Residences at W New York Downtown is located in lower Manhattan. The at-grade public plaza creates an urban space with a food kiosk surrounded by a large raised wood deck with table, chairs, and built-in custom stainless steel benches and bar seating along the perimeter. A series of interplaying IPE wood and pre-cast concrete benches creates seating and co...

51 Astor Place

At the locus of two famous NYC neighborhoods, East Village and Greenwich Village, this new corner plaza takes full advantage of the vibrant urban life generated by nearby NYU and historic Cooper Union across the street. With a strong architectural alignment of banquette seating, this plaza benefits from its urban context by carefully staging the cherished NYC ...

Aitken Place Park

Aitken Place Park will be at the heart of Toronto’s East Bayfront Community – currently being transformed from an underutilized industrial brownfield into a vibrant waterfront neighborhood. Flanked by the residential development to the west and the commercial buildings to the north, the park’s water’s edge location presents a unique opportunity to create...

Skyline Park

After an extensive public dialogue on its original design and performance, the City of Denver decided on a redesign of Skyline Park, downtown Denver’s only public open spaces. The three-block-long, three-acre, linear park is at the center of downtown Denver and is bisected by the 16th Street Mall, a lively pedestrian space that connects many of Denver’s attrac...

Peggy Rockefeller Plaza

Stretching along nine blocks of New York City’s Upper East Side, Rockefeller University is a world-renowned medical research institution with an impressive roster of Nobel Prize winners — and beautiful river views. Once a harmonious urban oasis of 19th century buildings and 20th century modernism stitched together by a renowned Dan Kiley landscape, the c...

Residences at W New York Downtown

The Residences at W New York Downtown is located in lower Manhattan. The at-grade public plaza creates an urban space with a food kiosk surrounded by a large raised wood deck with table, chairs, and built-in custom stainless steel benches and bar seating along the perimeter. A series of interplaying IPE wood and pre-cast concrete benches creates seating and co...

2019-12-17T20:45:19+00:00