A futuristic tower for downtown São Paulo

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?

VERTICAL CITY // SAO PAULO from eduardo camarena on Vimeo.

Only in São Paulo; A hotel for Bonsai

Over in Jardim Petropolis, in the state of São Paulo, is a hotel called Bonsai Kai. But this particular hotel is not for holidaying tourists. It is, as the name suggests, for bonsai.

It also doubles up as a hospital for those bonsai that not only require a hotel stay but also some medical treatment. Daily rates depend on the size of the tree varying between  R$ 2-8 for the hotel and R$ 3-10 for the hospital.


And in case you think it is a fad or a publicity stunt, you'll be happy to learn it has actually  been around since 1995 and the hotel is thriving with an average of 40 trees sleeping there per night! Whether this is driven by the huge local japanese population or by something else, one thing is clear; there is definitely a market for the bonsai hotel.