Atlantic forest in the city
Li Yang   Nov 19.2018
“The main characteristic of the project is the size and variety of the vegetation. Bringing back some the intensity of the Mata Atlântica to the site helps to clean the air, keep it cooler, and create an environment for people that is pleasant and enjoyable.” — Diana Balmori, founder of Balmori Associates

Introduction

Located in the wealthy Vila Olímpia district of São Paulo, the project covers an area of ​​3.84 hectares and includes a park and a series of complex towers. The project consists of two 30-story commercial office towers, conference center, cafe, restaurant and plenty of landscape. The design team hopes to showcase the ecological charm of the Atlantic Forest in landscape design and create a sustainable ecosystem that combines environment and architecture.
Atlantic forest in the city

Reason to Be Selected

The combination of architecture and landscape: continuous greening follows the rhythm of space, height and forest texture, interspersed between the two towers to complete the architectural project. A series of raised green platforms form the entertainment and leisure space of the building. The garden made up of Green Island establishes a visual connection between the tower lobby and the forest.

Highlights:

Designed to bring the Atlantic Forest back to the base to purify the air and lower the temperature, creating a pleasant and comfortable living environment for people.

Details

History and current situation: Historically, the entire coastline of Brazil has been covered by Atlantic forests. It occupies 8% of the surface vegetation and is one of the healthiest ecosystems in the world. It has the world's most famous ornamental plant species. Today, these forests are extensively reclaimed, carrying more than half of Brazil's population and major agroforestry, with less than 7% of the original ecosystem preserved. In São Paulo, the Atlantic Forest is sporadic in the city, and the broken ecosystem is difficult to adapt to the warming climate and threatens the living space of wildlife.
Protection of the Atlantic Forest: The design preserves the mature trees that have been growing in the base for decades. In order to set up the foundation and build the parking lot, some areas need to be excavated and the trees in these areas are moved to the edge of the base. While retaining the original 171 mature trees, the designer introduced hundreds of new Atlantic forest species and used wind chime as a sign of the project, setting up dozens of different plants at the main entrance of the square.
The integration of the park and the city: In order to blur the boundaries of the base, the designer set up a series of undulating guardrails on the plane and the façade, woven into the landscape. In this city with cars as the main means of travel, a 1 km long circular walkway connects the sidewalks, forests, architectural plazas, restaurant terraces, terrain gardens and rooftop coffee to make the base a whole. The main body of the loop is a rising perforated metal path. People walk up from the narrow sidewalks and lie between the canopies to gain a unique walking experience. Water treatment: Local species such as pineapples and epiphytes are used for low water conservation needs. To reduce water loss, designers use perforated metal sheets to lay overhead paths to increase the penetration area. The local soil has good water retention performance, and rainwater is collected and used in tower cooling and base irrigation. The fountain and the lush vegetation create a cool microclimate, and the fountain water is recycled for use in the toilet.

Conclusions

Designing the forest into the city creates a sustainable ecosystem that combines landscape and architecture.

 

FULL STORY:

Atlantic forest in the city

Pubished on October 19,2017 in Gooood

TOPICS | São Paulo | Intelligent | Landscape

References:

http://www.balmori.com/

https://www.gooood.cn/a-mata-atlantica-forest-in-sao-paulo-by-balmori-associates.htm



Lat: -22.4081
Lng: -45.3122
Type:
Region: SouthAmerica
Scale: District
Field: Landscape
City: São Paulo