SESSION XII: São Paulo and The Somatic Collaborative

In general terms, architecture cannot be comprehended, much less enjoyed, through a small lens; it is the product of the macro, undoubtedly influenced and manipulated by the places we live in, context is key. This emphasis on research and context as a tool for design is the main strength of Somatic Collaborative, a New York based design and research practice. Architect Felipe Correa, founder

and current director of Somatic, recently laid out the firm’s methodology and

approach to urban planning, as well as its connection to growing Latin American

cities, in a virtual conference at the University of Puerto Rico’s School of

Architecture, titled Building a Culture of Representation.

As explained by Correa at the beginning of the conference, the Collaborative

intersects four primary elements: architecture, landscape architecture, urban

planning, and engineering; all which function in a symbiotic way to analyze and

design within urban or rural contexts.

Their constant experimentation with different fields generates designs for

everything from private and public buildings, to residences and furniture.

Their urban style, influenced by the work of past architects such as Manuel de Solá

in Barcelona and Aldo Rossi in Rome, seeks to develop designs through the exploration of urban settings to develop design partis. However, over half of the firm’s initiatives are research based as opposed to design commissions; with the goal of creating and/or improving existing investigative models for educational ends.

Featured in the UPPRP conference was São Paulo: A Graphic Biography, an

investigation led by an interdisciplinary and international team, which documents

the city’s rapid transformation from a pre-war industrial hub to the densely

populated metropolis of today. The exhibition was presented for the first time at

the Galeria de Cidade at Escola de Cidade in 2015. It compiled a book of the same

name which documented drawings and photographic material, all depicting São

Paulo’s transformation from industry to residential.

Their research also highlighted the transformation of the Paraná River into a vast hydraulic resource; an issue that Correa argues has contributed frequent infrastructure disasters. Other topics explored include the changing transportation system of the city and the rise of skyscrapers. In addition, study also studies the city’s varying cultures, geometries, and architectural typologies, an especially interesting topic given the city’s

colonial-era European influence and its background as the birthplace of Latin

American modernist icons such as Lina Bo Bardi’s SESC Pompéia and Oscar

Niemeyer’s Copan.

The exhibition received mayor acclaim for its documentation of urban evolution

taking us through a journey of the largest city in modern times. Both Felipe

Correa’s work and Somatic Collaborative’s process highlight the value of

urbanism and its relationship to design.

São Paulo is but a fraction of a continent that is full of life, history and both cultural and ecological diversity. An interdisciplinary, multi-scale investigative approach, much like Somatic Collaborative’s, might just be the perfect way to present to the world the design diversity found in Latin America and generate conversations worth having.

References:

• Bosch, F. P. (2019, September 30). Outsider's Fascination with São Paulo Leads to Book and Exposition. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/culture/2019/09/outsiders-fascination-with-sao-paulo-leads-to-book-and-exposition.shtml

• São Paulo: A Graphic Biography Exhibition. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/279419/so-paulo-a-graphic-biography-exhibition/

• Somatic Collaborative: About. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://somatic-collaborative.com/about