Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Torre | Tiago Viegas

[JVS]

Belo Horizonte, Brazil architect Tiago Viegas has designed a skyscraper for his city, which is the third largest city in Brazil with a metro area population of 5.4 million, that will serve as a hotel, a commercial center and a public park.

The city is set to boom both residentially and commercially when the World Cup is hosted there in 2014, and Viegas seeks to design a building that is “fluid and permeable,” and that will allow public use of typically private areas. For example, he proposes allowing a street to run though the building’s base, and allowing public access to the building’s roof.

The building is ideally located on an empty lot surrounded by the region’s major train and light rail station, the Arrudas River, and the city’s Museum of Arts and Crafts.

The building’s design is an open stacking of units, with access to units only available on every third floor. Keeping access at a minimum has two distinct advantages, says Viegas: less materials are needed in the construction of the building, and also, wind will be able to pass through the open areas, bringing better air circulation for the building. The improved wind circulation also positively affects the city, he says, as tall buildings block the natural wind patterns on the landscape.

in http://www.evolo.us/architecture/a-new-brazilian-skyscraper-in-time-for-the-world-cup/#more-6579