Armadura da paisagem: infraestrutura verde nas encostas do Morro da Formiga - 14ᵃ Bienal Internacional de Arquitetura de São Paulo

Project development: Brazil

The project proposes a green infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) strategy for Morro da Formiga, in Rio de Janeiro, a territory characterized by informal settlement on steep slopes, insufficient infrastructure, and high vulnerability to landslides. The proposal is based on a careful analysis of the site and the recognition of environmental knowledge and practices developed by the community itself, understood as socio-environmental technologies capable of promoting resilience even outside of formal planning. The goal is to improve public and residual spaces, integrating risk mitigation actions, environmental valorization, and strengthening existing sociocultural dynamics.

The intervention area comprises a 34,000 m² section under power lines, which forms a connecting axis between the urban fabric, the hillside, and the Tijuca Forest. The design organizes continuous strips of open space along the slopes, creating ecological and social buffers. Planned interventions include the redevelopment of the Cascata River, widening its riverbed and installing filter gardens; expanding the Hortas Cariocas community program, including a seedling nursery and support areas; and implementing agroforestry systems, composting, and green drainage solutions. These actions are coordinated to connect with existing initiatives, incorporating the knowledge accumulated by residents in environmental management and expanding their reach.

The project is structured around three central guidelines: articulation, connecting fragmented spaces and bringing urban occupation closer to open areas; enhancing, expanding, and strengthening socio-environmental projects; and preserving, protecting native vegetation, water bodies, and cultural knowledge. The strategy also envisages the replication of typologies in areas of greater geotechnical risk, including the implementation of evapotranspiration basins for decentralized sewage treatment and the restoration of slopes with adapted vegetation. By reinforcing the role of the Cascata River as a structuring element, a system is created that integrates ecological infrastructure, living spaces, and community facilities, establishing a gradual transition between the forest and the urban fabric.

Beyond a set of physical interventions, the proposal constitutes a collaborative process that recognizes the community as a protagonist in the transformation of the territory. The incorporation of local knowledge, combined with high-performance environmental solutions, allows for the construction of a multifunctional and adaptive landscape, capable of responding to climate extremes and historical inequalities, promoting safety, belonging, and quality of life.

About the author:
Larissa Scheuer is an architect and urban planner with a degree from FAU-UFRJ and works as a landscape architect at Embyá – Ecological Landscaping. With experience in landscape architecture and urban planning, her work has been recognized with several national awards, including the Arquitetas e Arquitetos do Amanhã Award, third place in the Grandjean de Montigny Award, and selection as a finalist for the Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Prize.

Participate in the program of debates, workshops and associated activities!

TODAY (10.10)

2:30 pm – table Risk-Free Periphery in the Context of Climate Change

4pm – table Knowing to Transform: Community Climate Risk Reduction and Adaptation Plans

6:30 pm – table Inclusive Adaptation: Nature-Based Solutions in the Peripheries

9am – Drawing Workshop: Oscar Niemeyer's Architecture in Ibirapuera Park and the Climate Challenge

IN THE NEXT DAYS (11 to 14.10)

ATTENTION the table Palmas: For 36 years, the ecological capital of Tocantins which would be held on 10/11 | 7pm was canceled.

11.10 and 12.10 | 9am – workshop Inventa(rio) Fronteiras: Playing for Multispecies Cities

11.10 | 10am – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 11am – table Learning to inhabit the Anthropocene: the crisis of architecture

11.10 | 2pm – table Architecture for Learning and Civic Use

11.10 | 3pm – table Culture and Public Architecture

11.10 – 15h – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 4pm – table Reconnecting with Nature & Circular Design

11.10 | 5pm – table Architecture of Belonging: Interpreting Heritage Through Place

12.10 | 10am – table Experience: Climate Refuges and Naturalized Public Spaces, with Eco-Neighborhood

12.10 | 10:30 am – table Childhoods and Climate: Climate Justice in Vulnerable Territories

12.10 | 10:30 am – Windsock Workshop with the Floating Collective

12.10 | 3pm – table Doing a lot with a little: architectures for a planet in transition with Esteban Benavides from Al Borde office

12.10 | 4:30 pm – table Earth – building a sustainable and democratic future

12.10 | 5:45 pm – table French presence at the Biennale and screening of the film AJAP – Albums of Young Architects and Landscape Architects

13.10 – activity Pantanal Action at IABsp

10/14 | 10am – table Urgent Panorama! Space as an act of permanence

14.10 | 6pm – Launch of the “Nature-Based Education” Guide

JOIN! IT'S ALL FREE!

And there's much more until October 19th!

NOTE OF CONDOLENCE

With deep sorrow, the Brazilian Institute of Architects – São Paulo Department (IABsp) mourns the passing of architect and landscape architect Kongjian Yu, a global leader in ecological urbanism, and the members of his team who accompanied him, tragically killed during the filming of a documentary. The institute is honored to have had him as a participant in the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, where his transformative vision strengthened the dialogue between global challenges and local realities. IABsp emphasizes that Yu's contribution, which transcends borders, will remain an inspiration for generations and expresses its condolences to China, to the families of all the deceased, to his friends, and to all those impacted by his genius and dedication. Read the full note here.

Landscape armor: green infrastructure on the slopes of Morro da Formiga

Larissa Scheuer