PORTO ALEGRE

2008
REMODELING OF PORTO ALEGRE’S WATERFRONT

LOCATION
PORTO ALEGRE, BRASIL

STATUS
SCHEMATIC DESIGN

AREA
140.000 sqm

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
CONSTRUCCIONES Y COMERCIO CAMARGO CORREA

AUTHORS
FERMÍN VÁZQUEZ, JAIME LERNER

The transformation of the Cais Mauá includes interventions in 2,5 km of coastal highway and 258.000m² of built area. Additionally, the transformation of the old fish market into a thematic recreational and commercial zone eliminates the existing barrier between the city and the waterfront. The large new buildings are situated at the ends of the site: two office towers at one end, and a hotel, exhibition hall, and commercial center at the other.

The rehabilitation of the Cais Mauá makes possible the introduction of large singular buildings which exist in harmony with the existing city, strengthening the image of a centralized urban area. Special efforts were made to connect the city center with the docks, thus mending the new torn urban fabric in the surrounding neighbourhood of la laguna Guaíba. Thus, the organic and fluid plazas of the docks are allowed to enter into the existing rigid city grid of La Guaíba. The open areas are reserved for pedestrian traffic, with careful landscaping treatment that includes protected green areas, building access routes, and parking zones.