Projects for towering, modern skyscrapers abound in new cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. However, when proposed for Latin American metropolises, they're often taken with some skepticism and/or criticism. In fact, they rarely materialise. And when they do, it’s not always plain sailing.
Even projects in Europe such as The Shard in London and Agbar Tower in Barcelona have love-hate relationships with their host cities. São Paulo has already seen a few megalomaniac projects proposed and this time around, it is architect, Eduardo Camarena, who proposes a highly modern "vertical city" for a gritty part of downtown São Paulo, known as Praça da Bandeira.
Though only a concept, the tower would encompass indoor public spaces, a pay per hour capsule hotel, as well as offices, theatres and a rooftop domed garden. We’re not sure if the project will ever become reality, but it's certainly an eye-catcher!
The rooftop Garden of Eduardo Camarena's project
What do you think? Would it improve São Paulo’s centro or would it be a waste of money?
São Paulo’s
reputation as a cement heavy urban sprawl is merited only to a certain extent. The
São Paulo City Green Belt Biosphere Reserve (GBBR) is one of the globally
celebrated examples of green belt political protectionism. Admittedly it is a
response in part to urban sprawl and was born primarily out of popular demand but
it has been in place for 18 years already and protects 6,000 km² of highly
vulnerable Atlantic rainforests and wildlife reserves.
The city
itself has 55 square metres of green spaces per person which although not
exemplary, is a respectable amount in a Latin American context and São Paulo is not
standing still: the recently approved Agenda 2012 plans for the construction of
50 new neighbourhood parks and three city parks along the Tietê River, in
addition to planting a staggering 800,000 trees in the short term future.
These are
not the only signs of positive green discrimination in São Paulo politics. A
good example can be found at the heart of São Paulo governance, on the roof of
the municipal mayoral building, the Predio da Prefeitura de São Paulo. Whoever ventures
to the top of the building will find the largest suspended roof garden in Latin
America.
Aerial view of the roof of São Paulo's administrative headquarters
Both practical and economical it’s a wonder this is not more common
both in São Paulo and elsewhere considering the environmental benefits. Below
are some of the advantages of suspended gardens:
Air and
soil quality improves, carbon is absorbed and many pollutants are kept away from the
soil substrate
Lives of building
are prolonged by alleviating over heating of rooftops and absorption of acidic
rainwater
The gardens
go some way to restore flora and fauna that was originally displaced by the
city. This is especially relevant in São Paulo as the city was previously dense
Atlantic rainforest
Air humidity
is increased reducing the need for artificial humidifiers
Noise
levels are reduced by the extra foliage
According
to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Latin American Green City Index São Paulo
is beaten only by its compatriot Curitiba in an assessment of the greenness of 17 Latin
American cities and scores above average on Energy and CO2 emissions,
Transport, Water, Land Use, Sanitation and Waste indices. So, whilst it is easy
to bash São Paulo for its urban sprawl and uncontrolled development, it is
unfair to measure it out of its Latin American context and if we avoid that we
quickly discover that not all is grey in
São Paulo, there’s a lot of green too.
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