The Protagonism of Structure in the Architecture of Edifício Vilanova Artigas - FAU-USP

Abstract

The building design for the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU / USP) was designed by the architect Vilanovas Artigas, and is also named after him. The project stands out for its constructive rationality, spatial richness and the didactic aspect with which the building elements are shown to users of the building, predominantly students of architecture. The 1961 project was carried out between 1966 and 1969. Concrete is used in almost the entire building, foundations, beams and pillars, as well as on the roof and walls. There are external pillars which, positioned outside the structural modulation, have a sculptural shape, distinguishing themselves from the other internal pillars. Externally, the building is characterized by presenting itself as a rectangular volume, suspended on the floor, supported by sculptural pillars, marking the characteristics of Brutalism Paulista. In contrast to the sobriety and uniqueness of the external form, the internal spatiality is very dynamic, the result of the game of advances and retreats in the central void, the alternation of openings and closings and the generosity of the circulation spaces. This relationship between modern architecture and structural design is explored in these studies. The objective of the present work is to understand the efforts to which the structure is subjected by means of computational tools, such as the SAP 2000 software, to verify the constructive, aesthetic and didactic justifications of the structural solution and to highlight the protagonism of the structural system for the architectural result.