Arena do Morro — Carnegie Museum of Art
Written in 2016/11/1, Pittsburgh
One thing in the exhibition “Building Optimism: Public Space in South America” that had a deep impression on me is Urban Vision for Mae Luiza.
Arena do Morro is the first in a set of strategic interventions desgined by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron in the northeast Brazilian city of Natal. Herzog & de Meuron wanted to improve the quality of life in Mae Luiza, a favela — an informal or unplanned neighborhood — that occupies a unique site between extensive sand dunes and Atlantic Ocean. The architects made critical observations of this context, identifying access or lack of access to many essential services. They thus propose additional workplaces and connections to nature, playgrounds, art, and sports facilities.
The newly completed Arena do Morro is the first of several construction projects to be clustered along an axial path. This boardwalk-like element is designed to lead from the inland dunes to an observation deck close to a historic lighthouse above the ocean. Arena do Morro incorporates and extends an existing shed structure. A generous space slightly apart to allow light and air filtration; it is tapered at either end to enhance views into the interior. In this shaded realm, multipurpose communal rooms are wrapped in porous walls made from slim concrete blocks fabricated on site.
The idea that intrigued me the most is its context. Those architectures need to be a part of the current neighborhood, which means it can’t be something that makes people here feel uncomfortable. Also it is really about giving people in Mae Luiza what they really need in the right place, in the right time. In other words, those buildings should be designed to be actually put into use by local people. In order to do that, the designers had to keep asking themselves: “What is missing in Mae Luiza?”
I think Arena do Morro is truly a success in terms of its original purpose. I saw on the video at the exhibition that it has become a center for young people: teenagers are gathering in Arena do Morro playing basketball, and children are enjoying themselves in other rooms playing table football. Local people love to bring their family here, spend their weekend enjoying family bonding time and the sea view from the deck. Arena do Morro is now acting like a hub that connects everything around it: schools, culture sites, parks, shops, the sea walkway and the green canopy. It is making a difference in people’s lives in Mae Luiza. This is the power and beauty of design.
