View Full Version : Lanceiros Negros Memorial and Monument Competition
This is a recent project for a national competition. The result was announced a couple weeks ago and we received an honour mention. We got very happy because we had some problems in our presentation.
Basic information:
Project: competition
Location: extreme south of Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul)
Design team: Edgar Wandscheer, Fabio “Dig” Doi, Juliano Weronka, Newton Arcie and Paulo Natal
Type of project, design parameters, approach: to follow
Tools/programs: Autocad, SketchUp, ArtLantis, Corel Draw, Illustrator and hand drawing
Competition website (http://concursos.iab-rs.org.br/lanceirosnegros/) (in Portuguese)
First I need to explain a little about the background behind the competition.
The Lanceiros Negros (something like “Black Spearmen”) were an infantry formed by slaves that fought in a brazilian civil war called Farrapos War ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Tatters).
They joined the war with the promess of freedom, but were betrayed and massacred in an ambush. The massacre happened in a location called Porongos, in the city of Pinheiro Machado.
Here is a representation of a black spearman:
Okay, now about the competition brief…
It’s funny that we registered for this competition in the last minute, without knowing exactly what the brief was asking for. All we knew was that we should design a memorial and a monument, and then we discovered that there was other issues to resolve…
The competition subject was divided in four “scales”, each one to be presented in one A1 board. There’s a lot going on in this project so I’ll give a quick idea of what we were supposed to present in each board and will be giving further info as posting.
Scale 1(Board 1): Regional
Masterplan for economic and touristic development of the city of Pinheiro Machado (small city near the Porongos site – see Scale 2) and its surroundings.
Scale 2(Board 2): Local
Masterplan for the occupation of the Porongos site (35ha - 350.000m²). This is the site where historians believe the massacre happened.
Scale 3(Board 3): Memorial
Project of the memorial itself. The plot is a 3ha area inside the Porongos site.
Scale 4(Board 4): Monument
Project of a monument located in an existent urban park in the city of Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul
Location of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and the cities of Pinheiro Machado (green arrow) and Porto Alegre (black arrow):
This map shows the main focus of scale1, the city of Pinheiro Machado and all the way to the Porongos site (“Sítio de Porongos”).
Some shots of Pinheiro Machado:
the city have around 14.000 people
Scale 1(Board 1): Regional
Masterplan for economic and touristic development of the city of Pinheiro Machado (small city near the Porongos site – see Scale 2) and its surroundings
As you can see, the city is very small and simple, so our propositions for it were focused in simple yet effective actions to upgrade the urban environment. For the city, restoration of existent buildings and urban equipment, redesign of public spaces, landscape interventions, urban furniture, etc. Same with the way to the memorial site, where we proposed new paving, better designed road signs, portals and structures for touristic support. We didn’t received detailed info about the city, so all the ideas were expressed through text and hand sketches.
This is our board for Scale 1:
Scale 2(Board 2): Local
Masterplan for the occupation of the Porongos site (35ha - 350.000m²). This is the site where historians believe the massacre happened
This is the Porongos site:
Image of the site from south:
This is the view in the top of that hills. Nice, huh?
(We couldn't visit the site. This pictures were provided by the organization)
Close up of the zoning proposition. The memorial itself should be located in the triangle area in the upper left of the site (área 8).
And now some images of the memorial location. View from the road:
View from the other side (from area 6 in the zoning):
And this is a view from that hill in post #10 (the one in the left in the last image):
The memorial program:
- entrance portico and sentry box;
- parking;
- multifunctional hall for 120 people;
- support spaces (bathroom, storage, etc);
- administration office;
- outdoor spaces;
- symbolic landmark – quoting the competition brief: “Object, element, space or activity proposed to the massacre location in the Porongos site. It can have physical or only symbolic configuration. The interpretation of the symbolic landmark is open.” :wondering
Study model:
We worked with few but strong built elements, always trying to make the architecture emphasize the natural beauty of the site (I’m not sure if we got there, you tell me…), trying to reinforce the “sacred” character of the place. Contemplation is probably the word that better translate our intentions. Unfortunately our biggest problem occurred with the renders, that couldn’t be ready in time for issues with the computers. The images you see (in the board 2) are tests I made. I had no intention to use them in the final presentation (small images, standard Artlantis people, almost no material setting…) but in the end we had no choice. :(
Site plan:
1.Entrance
2.Car/bus parking
3.Sentry box
4.Stairway/anphitheater
5.Concrete portico/hall access
6.Multifunctional hall
7.Bridge/gallery
8.Spears plaza
9.Walkways
All the elements were thinked in a way of experience the site. View from the entrance and sentry box (test image…:( ):
The plaza and the walkways are made of metallic grate to allow you to see the land below your feet. Our symbolic landmark is a set of 40 meters tall metallic “spears” that grow from the ground in a way to remember the men who died there.
Interior of the bridge (another test image)
Entrance for the hall (this one is really crappy!!! :bang head )
Hall interior (crappy and dark…)
Main level plan
The niches in the strucuture (sides) are the storage/technical spaces and the big one next to the tables is a kitchen with barbecue ("churrasqueira", asked in the competition brief), to make primo's famous "asados" :D . It's the most popular typical food in the south region of Brazil.
This image was done after the submission. My intention was to work on images like this in photoshop (people, vegetation, post-production…)
One more. Here you can see better the roof deck and the water feature, done for security reasons. The outside of the hall is corten steel.
I need to do some work now (what a long thread...:D ). Later I'll post the info about the monument.
Here's the board 4:
franjayo
31-05-2006, 22:51
Congratulations to you and your group, it is a very important step to have achieved a recognition for your hard work. It is a beautiful and strong concept.
These competitions are extremely consuming and it is always difficult to find the strenght for those last details that may make the difference. I am sure with more time or resources some of the drawings would have had that higher level of detail. You have shown that you can make it to the first prize in the next one.
primocordara
31-05-2006, 22:55
Parabens Fabio :rock on: didn't know this part of our common history, just across the border! So much for our founding fathers, eh?
Here the kmz, low res...
primocordara
01-06-2006, 01:56
Main level plan
The niches in the strucuture (sides) are the storage/technical spaces and the big one next to the tables is a kitchen with barbecue ("churrasqueira", asked in the competition brief), to make primo's famous "asados" :D . It's the most popular typical food in the south region of Brazil.
JAJA! maybe that's because this region was part of Uruguay untill the Brazilian empire invaded it! ñej ñej
BruceWalker
01-06-2006, 03:31
Well done digdoi. Your presentation, both for the competition and on this thread are fantastic - but then again you're a moderator, so you'd better get it right :)
I think the simplicity of the design is very strong and attractive. The spears, integration into the hillside and simple planes really work well.
IMO the angled ramp doesn't fit in with the rest of the scheme - it strikes a discord with me and I think would have worked better if it had remained as a visually horizontal element - perhaps with the ramp concealed inside.
Apart from that - congrats indeed!
primocordara
01-06-2006, 05:11
Congratulations Fabio, been studying for a while now and think this would sit perfectly in the landscape.
This is just the rural landscape of my country, just across the frontier, green undulated prairie with small bunches of planted Australian Eucalyptus.
BTW I will keep you posted if there is a cometition for "Salsipuedes", a simmilar location and situation were all natives were slaughtered by the republican army, following orders of the senate (ca 1850)!
Fabio,
maybe I missed it, but I read through your whole thread and really didn't find any indepth description of what you main conecpts are about and how you carried them through you design... I caught a couple of things but overall I find it hard to make in intelligent comments becuase I feel I don't know enough about your particular design...
obviously though the design is strong to have gotten the placement you did for this commetition... so on that congrats... it must feel good... :cheers:
Congratulations to you and your group, it is a very important step to have achieved a recognition for your hard work. It is a beautiful and strong concept.
These competitions are extremely consuming and it is always difficult to find the strenght for those last details that may make the difference. I am sure with more time or resources some of the drawings would have had that higher level of detail. You have shown that you can make it to the first prize in the next one.
Fran,
thanks a lot for your comments. I hope I can show you all a first prize soon!
JAJA! maybe that's because this region was part of Uruguay untill the Brazilian empire invaded it! ñej ñej
Primo,
thanks for the kmz. The Uruguayan culture (specially the asado, called churrasco here) influenced not only the south region but many parts of Brazil. I guess you probably went to a "churrascaria" when you visited Rio?:wondering
I think the simplicity of the design is very strong and attractive. The spears, integration into the hillside and simple planes really work well.
IMO the angled ramp doesn't fit in with the rest of the scheme - it strikes a discord with me and I think would have worked better if it had remained as a visually horizontal element - perhaps with the ramp concealed inside.
Apart from that - congrats indeed!
Bruce,
thanks. We thinked about the possibility of having the ramp concealed inside the bridge, but seems to me that the whole scheme would become too rigid that way. I like the angled orientation (or disorientation) of it in the way it is supposed to be a "preparation" space before you get to the main simbolic space that is the Spears Plaza, something like a neutral reflection space where you can think about the facts happened in that place. Also we thought historic info could be shown inside to reinforce this intention.
Fabio,
maybe I missed it, but I read through your whole thread and really didn't find any indepth description of what you main conecpts are about and how you carried them through you design... I caught a couple of things but overall I find it hard to make in intelligent comments becuase I feel I don't know enough about your particular design...
Scott,
maybe my explanation was too superficial. As I said, we tried to work the built structures in ways to enhance the experience of the site, creating promenades (like the whole way from the parking through the stairway), playing hide/show (the enclosed bridge and the open plaza, the underground tunnel and the framed view of the landscape you got when you enter the hall) and the obvious ways like the suspended walkways and the roof deck of the hall. This intention appear also in the grating of the plaza and the walkways (that allow you to see the ground below your feet) and in the interior of the hall, where the floor and the ceiling don’t touch the earth and you can see the hill in the back (post #24). I had a chat with Kevin about this particular feature.
obviously though the design is strong to have gotten the placement you did for this commetition... so on that congrats... it must feel good... :cheers:
Interesting you said that. I'm pretty sure that not always the best designs won. I got really satisfied with our design but I wouldn't measure quality by the prize. But it feels very good indeed.:D
primocordara
01-06-2006, 21:08
Fran,
thanks a lot for your comments. I hope I can show you all a first prize soon!
Primo,
thanks for the kmz. The Uruguayan culture (specially the asado, called churrasco here) influenced not only the south region but many parts of Brazil. I guess you probably went to a "churrascaria" when you visited Rio?:wondering
We all llook forward to it. Sorry fabio, but no Brazilian churrasco for me! you guys don't know how to butcher a cow... (the cuts are all different):D
Juan Gomez-Velez
03-06-2006, 15:56
digdoi
Your concept is strong and your presentation is striking. Personally I feel the respect given to the theme, the way this conceptual and physical pilgrimage pays homage to the fallen is both evident and extraordinary.
Your conceptual alignment of the spear plaza with the set of exisiting trees at the site is very effective, the idea of a dark passage to a place where only the warriors weapons remain is poetic, the notion of disorientation, confusion, uncertainty on the way to the evidence of a tragic injustice, now redeemed, is clearly brought to life.
I particularly like your image #20, the ascension, the enormous staircase towards the open skies, the heavens so to say, it looks like the doorstep to an american Valhalla. The idea of having the multiuse space float , and seemingly disappear from our sight is also very good. No shade is provided above, good, this is a pilgrimage site, it is not meant to be comforting.
I congratulate you for having commited the time and the effort required of you and your fellow team members in making both such a strong example of your talent, as a clear showcase of your potential . I find it was truly well worth it.
The notion of sharing your work with other forum members in the process is heartening, all of us should do so more often.
Once having seen your approach and solution, I cannot imagine one more appropiate. As Jayo said, given more time, you may end up as the winner of any future venture into the world of competitions.
In any case you are certainly a winner to us.
Saludos
Juan
primocordara
03-06-2006, 17:14
Juan allways finds better words to express what we all feel, than:
YOU ROCK, DUDE!!:rock on: :rock on:
Juan,
I'm very happy to know that you perfectly understood all our intentions only through the images, since my limited english vocabulary didn't allowed me to give further explanations. This project concept deals with a lot of subjectivity.
sincerely grateful,
:not worth :not worth :not worth
Fabio
primocordara
12-06-2006, 00:16
Now Porto Alegre is hi-res... this would be the monument location in the city
primocordara
12-06-2006, 00:17
... and kmz
Scott,
maybe my explanation was too superficial. As I said, we tried to work the built structures in ways to enhance the experience of the site, creating promenades (like the whole way from the parking through the stairway), playing hide/show (the enclosed bridge and the open plaza, the underground tunnel and the framed view of the landscape you got when you enter the hall) and the obvious ways like the suspended walkways and the roof deck of the hall. This intention appear also in the grating of the plaza and the walkways (that allow you to see the ground below your feet) and in the interior of the hall, where the floor and the ceiling don’t touch the earth and you can see the hill in the back (post #24). I had a chat with Kevin about this particular feature.
Interesting you said that. I'm pretty sure that not always the best designs won. I got really satisfied with our design but I wouldn't measure quality by the prize. But it feels very good indeed.:D
Fabio,
I didn't realize you had responded to me... you actually hit it with that brief explaination of the experience of site and procession... I don't know why I didn't really pick up on that before... thanks for the reply and again, great work...
Oh and yes, sometimes the best design doesn't win, but you have to have a pretty good design to place... usually :)
The awarded projects can be seen HERE (http://www.vitruvius.com.br/institucional/inst138/inst138.asp)
By the way, Pushpuller Laurino (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/member.php?u=1746) works with architect Gabriel Gandó, who also received an honour mention (http://www.vitruvius.com.br/institucional/inst138/inst138_06.asp). He used to be an active member of PPB1.
Pedro Barradas
26-06-2006, 16:01
The awarded projects can be seen HERE (http://www.vitruvius.com.br/institucional/inst138/inst138.asp)
From my point of view, and at a glance, the Honorable mentions have better quality than the 1st to the 3rd prizes....
Maybe next time... :craqueur:
Thanks Pedro, I was wondering if I was the only one thinking that...
primocordara
26-06-2006, 18:11
From my point of view, and at a glance, the Honorable mentions have better quality than the 1st to the 3rd prizes....
Maybe next time... :craqueur:
DEFINITELY!
I've seen this happen before here, specialy when it is already established that the first prize is to be comisioned to build it.
Some members of the jury then choose with concerns on the execution costs!:D
imasayer
26-06-2006, 19:16
From my point of view, and at a glance, the Honorable mentions have better quality than the 1st to the 3rd prizes....
Maybe next time... :craqueur:
The first three, while not bad, are very safe. Great architecture is rarely safe. I like your proposal much more than the 1-3 place entries, digdoi.
primocordara
26-06-2006, 19:24
the first prize is a lightning rod monument!
I liked the first mention as well as yours.
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