Rubem Braga Elevator complex: JBMC Arquitetura & Urbanismo
Site and Situation
source: http://urbsurbis.wordpress.com/
Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho are two favelas built into the hills between two of the richest neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro– Ipanema and Copacabana. According to the Master Plan for Rio de Janeiro, a favela is “an area predominantly of housing, characterised by the occupation of land by low-income populations, precarious infrastructure and public services, narrow and irregular layout of access ways, irregular shaped and sized plots and unregistered constructions, breaking with legal standards” (SMU, 1993). According to census data from the year 2000, the combined population of the two neighborhoods was 20,000, but more recent numbers come in around 28,000.
As we can see from the topography of the communities, accessibility is problematic. Until recently, residents had to descend a series of staircases and muddy inclines to get from home to work in the downtown area. The accessibility issues limit police and community access to Cantagalo and Pavao-Pavaozinho, and limit access of residents of these favelas to the jobs and amenities of the downtown area. All of this contributes to a continued impoverishment of these communities. In 2003, the municipal government deemed the region an “Area of Special Social Interest” under Law 3.688, and several major infrastructural projects have followed. In 2009, the new Ipanema/Gen. Osorio Metro Station opened to the public– previously, the last stop on the orange line had been in Copacabana, to the east. The next year, State Transportation Secretary Julio Lopes announced the construction of an elevator complex serving the community.
Design and Execution
The Ruben Braga Elevator consists of two towers, one 64 meters high, the other 23 meters, connected by a 48 meter walkway. It connects the favelas to the Praça General Osorio Metro stop, and includes a 23-story high lookout of Ipanema and Copacabana conceived as a tourist destination. The project was funded by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) for an estimated R$40 Million (approximately $25 Million American).
Reception/Results:
The Rubem Braga Elevator as a project is interesting for its specificity. It is a solution to the definedly “Rio” juxtaposition of extreme wealth and poverty, and the altitude separating them. It is important to note that other Morros in Rio de Janeiro have recently been cleared completely, and their populations relocated to communities in the far north where work is much less accessible–In that sense, the building of this massive project can be seen as a message to the residents of Cantagalo and Pavao-Pavaozinho that they are going to be able to keep their homes.
Additionally, it is important to note that this project relies on the reputation of Ipanema as a tourist destination for its financing. The Mirante Da Paz lookout atop the tower draws business to the area, and helps to offset the enormous cost of production undertaken by the project. Since the opening of the metro station and elevator, Praca Gen. Osorio, the plaza at the base of the elevator, has had something of a boom. Local business owners point to cleanliness, better security, and a tripling of business as signs that the area is gaining steam. The Rio Times reports that business owners now count residents of the favelas as clients– something previously considered unlikely.
The elevator serves over 4,000 pedestrians per weekday and drastically improves handicap accessibility to the favelas. It combats the stigma of poverty by placing tourists and favela residents side by side, and indicates to the owners of informal dwellings that their insecure tenure is not at risk.
Video:
Additional Sources:
Transicity 