Masterplan and Design Architecture for Complex Paineiras Hotel in Rio de Janeiro

The project is an honorable mention in the national competition for the Masterplan and Design Architecture for Complex Paineiras Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located in the middle of the Tijuca National Park, one kilometer from the famous monument of Christ the Redeemer.

The project consists of a visitors center for the monument and national park, an eco-tourism hotel and a convention center. The visitor center is composed of a covered public square, exhibition halls, ticket offices, shops, a café, changing rooms for hikers, outdoor space, a train station (which allows access to the monument), and 250 parking private and public vehicles.

The eco-tourism hotel was built as a conversion of a historic hotel that was already on the ground. The Hotel was originally built Paineiras a century ago as a secluded retreat of the elite of Rio de Janeiro, and its construction was encouraged by D. Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil. Throughout its existence, the hotel hosted many dignitaries from other countries (mainly because until the 1960 Rio was still Brazil’s capital), and even hosted the football team during World Cup Brazil 1970. However, a few years after that, the hotel entered a period of decline and was finally abandoned in a state that has worsened over the past thirty years.

The main concern of the project was its relationship with the environment and pre-existing environment in which it is inserted. Despite the intense visits to the monument of Christ the Redeemer, the resort is located right in the center of a national park and therefore can not afford significant environmental impacts. On the contrary, even to serve as an example for creating awareness of a harmonious relationship between man and nature.

Second, given much consideration to the important historical character of the original Paineiras hotel, which is intrinsically related to the collective memory of Rio and its visitors. Although preservation in its original state was desired, the building was severely degraded over the years, in addition to becoming an outdated structure with regard to the functioning of a modern hotel. This calls for an incisive intervention, but respectful.

Finally, the concern was to organize the complex as a platform for effective support for tourist visits to the park and monument. The existing infrastructure was under-size and were overwhelmed by heavy visitation, causing major traffic jams on access roads and service for unwelcome visitors. The proposed design should allow generous space they can get the expected number of tourists (who are expected to increase dramatically, with the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016), but the space could also allow perfect contemplation of the beautiful panoramic view and contact with nature.

Global opinion as significant and extremely important for the city of Rio, the plan for integrating the new complex was carefully thought considerndo the following criteria to minimize environmental and visual impact of the design process works., the main concern was to avoid large ground movements and changes in the terrain, raising parking floors, using the natural morphology of the site to accommodate them. To integrate with the surrounding landscape, designed a “green coat” that relates the parking facilities and public promenade, the fusion mass built with a green canopy that emerges from the forest. The relationship here is to develop a consistent scenario and healthy interaction between the built environment and natural landscape, trying to deny the new intervention.

The process of construction and design of the structure are planned to address the concept of project sustainability, through the use of steel structures and non-aggressive methods, streamlining the process and reducing construction waste.

The concept for the hotel presents itself as a new building protected by ancient walls, which act on the thermal maintenance, blocking 80% of solar radiation on the west facade of the building, creating a pleasant environment without sacrificing the great view outside. The difference between the new block and the walls of the old Hotel provides air flow for ventilation, preventing excessive heat to be transferred directly to the building, contributing to the eco-efficiency project. The exchange of air inside the rooms is enhanced by the pressure difference on opposite sides of the hotel.