BLANK TOWER AT THE MINHOCÃO

Site—Sao Pãulo, Brazil 
Category—Architecture

Blank Tower explores the intersection between housing and public space within the complex urban fabric of S
ão Paulo, Brazil. Located adjacent to the Minhocão, a 3.5 kilometer (2.2 mile) long elevated highway, which transforms into a pedestrian-only linear park during the weekends, presents the project with the unique challenge of addressing two “ground floors”: one at the level of the Minhocão and the other to the boulevard located below. The project incorporates three main components: the frontal tower containing housing units; an amenities core for residents; and a plinth, housing public gallery space. The spatial arrangement of these components results in the creation of a plaza at the level of the highway, sitting under the shadow cast by a looming 16-story  residential tower standing on three columns rising from street-level where a skatepark alters the landscape-- architectural gestures influenced by the works of prominent Brazilian architects. The inversion of the tower’s glass-clad curtain walls, a feature synonymous with Modernism, and relocating them to the periphery aims to provide alternative views to residents and to give second-life to the blank facade, an architectural circumstance characteristic of São Paulo, but often overlooked.

BLANK TOWER