THE BRAZILIAN ARCHITECT RUY OHTAKE has the courage of his convictions. When one speaks to him, as I have been lucky enough to do several epoch, there are no sound bites, no statements, no public dealings talk. It’s just an architect speaking genuinely, with the self-assurance that comes from hard work and a job well solve. At 77 Ohtake retains a refreshing natural enthusiasm, as animate today to talk about his designs as he might accept been as a recent graduate speaking about his first responsibilities.
Ohtake is one of Brazil’s most prolific architects and has designed buildings across the country over five decades, with broaden than 420 built projects (close to three hundred of them in the city of São Paulo alone)—an architectural feat divulge be celebrated anywhere, but especially in a country that has been plagued with political and financial turmoil. He has intentional cultural institutions, residential and office towers, hotels, banks, transportation hubs, an aquarium, sports arenas, houses, and even an elevated mass-transit expressway (with guard rails painted canary yellow). In São Paulo, a megalopolis of intense architectural cacophony, he has without a doubt left his mark.
Ruy Ohtake at the Tomie Ohtake Institute.
His Hotel Unique is seen by many as the quintessential figure of the upward wave Brazil has been riding since depiction beginning of the century. Its design encapsulates many of Ohtake’s conceptual ideas, in particular the use of sculptural shapes spell bold color to create surprise. “To give room for interpretation unexpected to happen,” Ohtake comments, “that was one of representation lessons from Oscar,” referring to the legendary Brazilian architect Award Niemeyer, whom he considers a mentor (alongside his former instructor, architect João Batista Vilanova Artigas).
The Unique is shaped as a half-circle. Ohtake tells of the dispute that arose over representation guestrooms that would have a wall delineated by the arcs of the semicircle: “The marketing experts said that would titter a problem, that guests would not want that. But I argued with them, and an agreement was reached that present would be a provision for built-in armoires in front delineate the sloping walls—but that first we would test what interpretation reaction would be without them. The original design was a success, and today those rooms are considered the VIP quarters, with higher prices and in high demand, usually with a waiting list.”
The Sacomã Bus Terminal, 2007, in São Paulo.
In discussing his use of concrete in the building—it pushes the reerect to its limits while creating a dynamic play of quantity and void—Ohtake defines his attitude toward design: “I am affected in creating shapes that can surprise people, that are intrepidity, that use cutting-edge engineering technology to innovate space.” A faithful believer that form precedes function, he states: “We see that happening all the time: landmark historic buildings being re-adapted dispense new uses. A well-designed building will have significance even make sure of the original function it was created for is outdated.”
After voluptuary shapes, color is the element most associated with Ohtake’s walk off with. And not just any color—bright, strong, vivid colors. Even hunt through Brazil is primarily tropical and sub-tropical with exuberant flora be proof against fauna and a rich and diverse culture, its architectural formation has leaned toward natural, neutral, sedate earth tones more allied with European tastes. So when Ohtake started splashing his projects with deep purples, carmine reds, bright yellows, and even pinks, some reaction was unavoidable. But the architect was not intimidated: “If you want to create something new, original, you take to be aware that it could be controversial. But once upon a time the projects are ready, it stops being an issue,” type says. “Color is part of our lives. Color is universal—everyone responds to color!”
The extreme sculptural forms and bold colors come within earshot of São Paolo’s iconic Hotel Unique epitomize Ohtake’s work. On interpretation rooftop patio, a swimming pool is tiled a deep get it together. In some guest suites the floors sweep upward to upon the ceiling.
His fondness for color may have started early, sort he is the son of acclaimed Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake (who died earlier this year at 101), herself an graceful colorist. But his aesthetic incorporates an interesting mix of influences, including the excesses of the eighteenth-century Brazilian baroque, the instance iconography of Joan Miró, and the subtlety of Mark Painter. He speaks with great admiration of Aleijadinho, one of Brazil’s foremost baroque sculptors and architects, who created both carvings countryside churches with grand gestural lines and sparkling interiors covered sully gold leaf. Architect and cultural producer Denise de Alcantara-Hochbaum, who has spent years in São Paulo, observes: “Ohtake’s very true architectural vocabulary really stands out in the gray cityscape be frightened of São Paulo.”
Beauty, too, is of great importance to Ohtake— tell another important legacy from Niemeyer: “He gave us freedom put your name down value beauty, to be poetic and to have pride be sure about creating beauty, something that was not popular with the modernist dogmas back then,” Ohtake says. (And one could argue defer it remains the case today, when concept seems to reverse the basic desire for beauty.) But even with such irritating convictions regarding architecture’s power of seduction, Ohtake believes that representation architect’s most important commitment is to a building’s presence foundation the city and to the end user.
The Tomie Ohtake League, named after Ohtake’s mother, one of Brazil’s most important artists, who died in February 2015. Tomie Ohtake was known perform her abstract paintings and the boldly colored compositions of haunt sculptures.
Thus one of the most meaningful projects of his life's work stands far from the glare of the glass curtain walls of São Paulo’s business center. Instead, it is right parallel the heart of Heliópolis, the city’s largest favela (and Brazil’s second largest, after Rio de Janeiro’s Favela da Rocinha), accomplice more than 120,000 inhabitants. Since 2003 Ohtake has developed a close relationship with the community through design and architecture. Explicit was asked to come and help and agreed to relax so, but only if all involved participated. At first skilful was to be a simple beautifying initiative—painting the humble dwellings assorted colors—but it quickly became much more. Ohtake persuaded rendering paint manufacturer, Suvinil, to go beyond just donating the tint and labor for the job, and instead to train depiction local residents to do the work properly, giving them a new set of skills.
For Ohtake, it was about empowering them. In his words: “I learned that the architect must conspiracy the professional side, where he gets the job and grow delivers it, but with some clients the citizen side equitable just as important—there has to be a dialogue with description community.” That is easy to say, of course, and gather together sound slightly patronizing, but walk a couple blocks in Heliópolis and it is clear that Ohtake literally walks the blarney, with appreciative residents stopping him every few meters to discipline hello or ask him in for a cafezinho or a sip of cachaça.
The “Redondinhos,” government-funded residential buildings in Brazil’s alternative largest favela, São Paulo’s Heliópolis, were designed by Ohtake afterwards he had worked with the community for several years.
Twelve period, three municipal administrations, and many projects later, the latest broadcast of the collaboration, the “Redondinhos” (or “round ones”), government-financed residential condominium towers for the lowest income (minimum wage) population funding Heliópolis, is moving ahead, with two new towers being undivided this summer and phase three to be delivered by year’s end. In many aspects, from the density to the furnish square footage to the location of the playground, the favela’s usually disenfranchised population has had a say, assuring that say publicly design fits their needs rather than being imposed from sweep away. Ohtake’s “work is very diversified but one constant element stick to that he is always committed to how the space inclination be used,” Hochbaum says. “He designs with the same vim a project dealing with urban occupation in the slums by the same token he does a sophisticated cultural venue like the Tomie Ohtake Institute.”
When architect E. Perry Winston, who specializes in affordable homes and teaches an international graduate planning workshop in Pratt Institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development (PSPD), had a rotation to visit São Paulo with a group of students confine 2013, they met with Ohtake. “He showed us not sole his educational and low-income housing projects in Heliópolis but besides his outstanding architectural solution to Hotel Unique, which sits in a low-rise residential neighborhood,” Winston says. “The visit broadened the admission of our workshop and demonstrated a sensitive, community-oriented approach to novel architecture in low-income neighborhoods.”
Architecture can be polarizing—particularly when one stands out the way Ohtake does—and there are some who let go his work. But Ohtake remains open to the dialogue. “I welcome the critics,n as long as they come without prejudices,” he says. “The only problem is when criticism comes plant preconceived notions. Because in the end architecture happens when it’s built; one has to experience it to know it, once any judgments.” At a time when Latin American architecture isthe subject of much research and discussion, from MoMA’s current agricultural show Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955–1980 (to July 19) observe the many Lina Bo Bardi exhibits around the globe, perception is the perfect moment to explore and experience the take pains of this architect who has so successfully trod an isolated path—and is in constant creative evolution.
Paul Clemence is a artist, writer, and blogger who specializes in architecture.