Conceived to positively impact the region of Campo Alegre, ARCHITECTS OFFICE designs Paraíso das Araucárias, a masterplan project that connects people, architecture and landscape in a sublime and virtuous urbanism experience amid the countryside.

Rethinking The Future Awards 2023
Third Award | Urban Design (Concept)

©ARCHITECTS OFFICE

Located in Santa Catarina state (southern area of Brazil), the town of 12,000 inhabitants is gifted with one of the most representative species of the local flora, the Araucária Tree. This species dates back more than 200 million years and can reach impressive dimensions. Its magnificence, combined with the historic background it carries, were determining for the project to be named as ‘Paradise of Araucária Trees’.

The area chosen is one of the most prosperous in southern Brazil, with a high income concentration. Balneário Camboriú, Joinville and Curitiba city, the state capital, are part of this ecosystem. Traditionally, Campo Alegre hosts second or third homes, but it is increasingly becoming a priority option, especially as the regional population ages and reaches one of the longest life expectancies in the country. This expands demand for quieter urban centers capable of offering intense contact with nature, reframing the boundaries between countryside and city. It also shows Campo Alegre’s potential as an ecotourism destination and the importance of promoting sustainable development integrated into urbanization expansion.

©ARCHITECTS OFFICE

Thus, based on the analysis of the topography, vegetation and solar insolation, 150,000 sqm were picked out, out of 600,000 sqm, to design a masterplan divided between two large atmospheres. In the south sector, a place of urban expansion connected with the city, close to the Paraíso Waterfall, with a strong tourist attractiveness, the buildings reach the maximum height of the ground floor plus 1 floor, eventually reaching 3 floors. A viewpoint will serve as a guideline for contemplating the waterfall; and a special care is given to valuing architecture derived from the German tradition, brought by the immigrants who settled nearby between the 19th and 20th century. The retrofit of a Germanic residence allows the contrast and harmonization between secular and contemporary architecture, guiding the design overall. A welcoming square, which celebrates meetings and enhances the public space as the main element of urban vitality, is part of a system of green and leisure areas in the heart of the blocks. The blocks, in turn, counteract in a more local scale, placing the people, especially children, first.

©ARCHITECTS OFFICE

The northern sector, on the other hand, preserves a smooth transition between urban and rural areas, with the installation of a high-end residential condominium, making the best possible use of the topographical position, in which the landscape itself takes place as protagonist.

This masterplan awakens Campo Alegre’s touristic potential and the consolidation of the local economy with a contemporary proposition by listing social, programmatic, ecological and financial solutions in synergy with the community. The design envisages an entire urban ecosystem integrated with nature prioritizing walkability, accessibility, incentive to mixed use, preservation and celebration of tangible and intangible assets of the region with a unique identity.