design for the "Predio Italia", Italo-Brazilian Centre

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Luiz Contrucci and at Milano Arturo Belloni, Gianfranco Frattini, Giancarlo Pozzi

Competitions, projects, proposals

A Brazilian project that was never realized, this vertical expression before Pirelli was important to Ponti as a demonstration of a principle, that of the representativeness of exteriors: it is a multipurpose building, and it shows it. The low block housing the Centre emphasizes the special scale of the auditorium and halls. The tall blocks, with their differing patterns along their facades, make clear which areas of the building are intended for offices, for standard apartments, for duplex apartments, or for ateliers. The project was by Gio Ponti and Luiz Contrucci.