centro aberto, são paulo, 2014

METRO’s work on ‘Centro Aberto’ consisted of a series of urban interventions at Largo do Paissandu and Largo São Francisco; two public spaces in the center of São Paulo. These projects were completed in partnership with Itaú Bank, which supports the City Of São Paulo in a series of re-urbanization projects.

The idea for this project was to promote the transformation of existing urban places and re-establish certain forms of use. Events took place in the chosen areas over a period of two months and were used as a means of testing new solutions before permanent interventions are made. The interventions were a result of workshops promoted by the Secretary for Municipal Urban Development and the Danish practice, Gehl Architects, who offered theoretical and methodological support. The projects were based on three main ideas: to protect pedestrians and cyclists, to offer an environment where people would spend more time in public spaces and to activate underused public spaces.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Project Start: 2014
Architectural Design: Martin Corullon, Gustavo Cedroni, Helena Cavalheiro, Isadora Marchi, Luís Tavares, Flávio Bragaia, Renata Mori, Marina Pereira, Camille Laurent, Marina Cecchi, Isadora Scheneider e Rafael de Sousa
Site Area: 6850 m² Paissandu; 2610 m² São Francisco
Construction Area: 759 m² Paissandu; 579 m² São Francisco
Photography: Sylvia Masini; SP Urbanismo; Everton Ballardin