The Schindler Global Award 2016

Framework

The task of the 2017 Schindler Global Award is to make a comprehensive urban design proposal to address the existing and future challenges on the CEAGESP wholesale market site. The locally focused urban design strategy should be embedded into its context, strengthening the city and the region as a whole. The central themes of the competition are connection and integration, using public space, mobility infrastructures, housing and workplaces as catalysts. Participants are asked to design a sustainable portion of the city by taking a comprehensive look at these topics.

The competition site, situated west of the old center of São Paulo, is located in close proximity to one of the functional gateways to the city, a strategic position, through which hundreds of thousands of commuters from outlying urban areas pass daily, on their way to and from work. The site is northwest of the current centralities of mostly high-paying jobs. (Figure 13) This offers the potential to divert development in the city away from a southward direction by presenting an alternative in the northwest. The CEAGESP area could become a new centrality in a network of other new and existing centralities. Changes to the mix of uses on the site could offer new economic and housing opportunities.

The CEAGESP area has been functioning for many decades as a wholesale market for perishable goods. It is an important local employer. Within a radius of approximately one kilometer are numerous commercial businesses, specialist retailers, and service companies that are directly associated with the CEAGESP, such as plant nurseries, garden furniture retailers, and event agencies. The city government of São Paulo wants to relocate the commercial activity in the near future, moving it from the 640,000 square meter site to the periphery near the Rodoanel Mário Covas beltway. (Figure 12) The primary reason for relocation is the high level of tra c associated with the CEAGESP, which signi cantly contributes to congestion in city.

Consequently, for the purpose of the competition, the vision for the existing industrial and commercial area is to develop a lively district with a dense mixture of living, working and services, uniting urban and economic considerations. Locally based economies contribute to the diversity, stability and identity of neighborhoods.
The mix of uses is therefore of great importance, as are questions of mobility to de ne where and how residents and workers from the designed neighborhood commute and access their needs in greater São Paulo. This can substantially impact quality of life, and includes everything from employment and living to leisure. For example, well-designed neighborhoods with varied uses and good mobility connections could signi cantly improve commutes for a portion of the population, by reducing transit distances and the time people need to reach essential destinations in their daily lives.

New, contemporary forms and modes of mobility, such as car-sharing concepts, should be part of the thinking behind the design. There is an urgent need to develop alternatives to problems related to individual transport in car-dependant São Paulo. The role and function of public transportation is a key part of addressing these concerns.

The urban fabric of São Paulo is divided by massive road and rail infrastructures, many of which severely fragment the city. The question is whether – and how – infrastructure can support more diverse uses and functions. Infrastructure could enable more interfaces between uses and users, and become an integrated part of the public realm, rather than a mono-functional element that often isolates neighborhoods. The competition site contains the train station Ceasa, part of the CPTM (Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos) network. The station is segregated from the urban fabric and is only accessible from one side of the adjacent Pinheiros River. Changes to its range of uses and design could potentially create a new urban hub. The relationship of infrastructure elements to public space and how infrastructure functions as public space should be assessed. The design of the network of open spaces, roads and pathways, within and adjoining the competition site, should be planned and incorporated into the overall design.

Adjacent to the site boundary, some of the plots of land have already changed in use, as industry has shifted away from the area. The site was a place of active industry starting in the late 19th century, but this has been in decline since the mid-20th century. This is due in large part to shifts in the economy, technological progress and changes in land prices. The industrial past is still visible, evident in the large-scale plot con gurations and former industrial buildings. This gives the area a strong spatial identity. (Figures 2 and 4) New and interim uses, including lm studios, event halls, car dealerships and residential towers should somehow be included or addressed in the design.

These new uses have attracted service industry businesses, such as restaurants and bars, which cater to workers and visitors. This progressive change is key to designing an area that can evolve over time, to become an increasingly complex and integrated part of the city. The residual space along the river, polluted and disconnected, is also a relic of the area’s industrial past. This dividing element could attain its full potential as a new connecting open space and recreational area.

As today’s city of nearly twelve million people continues to grow,3 pollution will worsen. Exhaust emissions from motorized private transport are of particular concern. Deliberations about São Paulo’s wastewater disposal and drainage problems should also be taken into account. The phenomenon of urban heat islands is common in São Paulo, where large portions of the urban surface are paved or covered by buildings, effectively sealing it. This means that evaporation is reduced and solar radiation is stored in buildings and road surfaces. Heat islands develop, raising surface temperatures signi cantly in certain areas. Additionally, because rainwater cannot percolate into the ground it immediately becomes surface runoff. This routinely overburdens the wastewater infrastructure, frequently leads to ooding and, even worse, to landslides. Consideration should be given to how the design of the new district can avoid exacerbating these negative environmental conditions and offer a high quality of life year-round.

Inherent in a holistic approach is the integration of found conditions into designs. Designs can draw on the historical identity of the CEAGESP site as they assimilate new ideas. These new ideas must engage the present-day situation and its requirements, to bring exibility and adaptability for future development. The quality of life of the local residents should be a central concern and should be used to identify approaches that result in high quality urban development overall.