Pampulha Square / Arquitetos Associados

Architects: – Arquitetos Associados / Alexandre Brasil, André Luiz Prado, Bruno Santa Cecília, Carlos Alberto Maciel
Location: Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
Collaboration: Enara Paiva, Michelle Andrade, Henrique Boabaid
Project Year: 2008
Project Area: 19,000 sqm
Photographs: Eduardo Eckenfels, Leonardo Finotti

The Square was built at the last large public space in the surroundings of Pampulha, close to St. Francis Church, one of Niemeyer buildings around the lake. The project redesign topography creating slightly sloping green surfaces that improve natural drainage, define permanence areas – grades, benches, platforms – and cover facilities – public toilets and bar – improving the open public character of the square.

Floor Plan

Destined to large scale events, the design defined a large dry esplanade closer to the lake, while increasing the green presence in the other direction, defining otherwise a more bucolic intimate scale for the neighborhood use. Vertical totems for lighting liberate the esplanade. The huge area associated to a low budget oriented a strict choice of low cost and resistant materials: the traditional brick in pavements and vertical elements; concrete for totems; crushed stone and grass for the permeable surfaces.