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Decio Tozzi completes new shopping precinct in São Paulo
Within the context of the global plan for the urban renewal of the city
center of Santo André, the Oliveira Lima Street axis took priority and
constitutes the first physical intervention of this renewal process.
This commercial boulevard that had its peak during the 1970s and 1980s
when it was the main commercial and service axis of the city started
deteriorating with the arrival of the modern shopping malls that led to the
decline of commercial activity on this street.
The adopted solution proposes to superimpose above the old physical
structure of this street a structure that will transform it and will help to
create a street shopping area thus offering to the new Oliveira Lima the
same standard of comfort and shelter that are found in the traditional
shopping malls aside from integrating it into the urban life of the central
section of the city of Santo André.
This considered, the architect designed a transparent roof composed of a spatial metal structure enclosed by framed safety transparent glass which offers the necessary protection against rain, wind and the characteristic damp fog that usually drifts over the region.
The pillars that support the roof were set along both sides of the street
alignment and mark the boundaries of the shops. Since the shop fronts
have different width the resulting uneven spacing between pillars resulted
in an interesting movement provided by the irregularity of the different
intercolumniation.
The height of the pillars - 12 metres - was a crucial factor for the final
configuration of this new shopping mall that will have upper galleries for
shops on both of its sides in a second phase planned for its urban
development.
The present street has within it urban equipment, urban furniture, public
telephones, and several service and sale street stands in addition to the
decorative public fountains. The floor panel, which is 500 metres long, and the sculptures were by the great concrete artist Luiz Sacillotto.
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