Copan Article

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Living Large

Iñaki Domingo and Carla Arranz Sobrini survey eight inhabitants of Oscar Niemeyer’s Copan apartment building.

Text and Photos Iñaki Domingo and Carla Arranz Sobrini

The formidable 35-storey residential enclave is home to approximately 5,000 people.

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01 From a distance, it is difficult to fathom the size of the Copan.

02 Horizontal louvers gracefully follow the curves of the Copan and help to shade the building on sunny days.

03 Oscar Niemeyer skilfully sculpted the Copan to snake through the central part of São Paulo.

I am a photographer and together with my creative partner Carla Arranz Sobrini, a designer and architecture student, we have developed a databank scheme called the Social Architecture Inventory (IAS). In IAS, we seek to find the sociological nuances between different individuals who live in massive residential complexes. The residential projects we have chosen are located in the largest megalopolises in the world, which further enables us to contrast the diversity of their inhabitants. The project consists of three simple parts: a written presentation describing the building, a visual documentation of the building, and questionnaires that have been answered by the inhabitants of these giant residential enclaves. The first stop on our tour of the megalopolises of the world is São Paulo, and specifically Oscar Niemeyer’s building, the Copan.

First of all, the Copan is the largest residential construction in South America, with a floor area of 116,152 m². It is so big that it even has its own postcode. And, as Niemeyer just celebrated his 100th birthday, and given his relevance in the history of Brazilian architecture, the Copan became the ideal project to kickoff our socio-architectural photography experiment.

Designed in 1952 and finished 14 long years later, the 57-year-old Copan now exists as one of the most emblematic symbols of São Paulo. Located in the central area of the city, the building rises to 35 storeys with 6 towers, 20 lifts and 1,160 apartments of different dimensions, amounting to the ultimate housing complex with an astounding population of nearly 5,000 people. If this is an alarming number, it is important to consider São Paulo’s state of affairs when this project was

on Niemeyer’s drawing board.

In the 1950s, the city began making major strides socially and politically which spurred on a tremendous population growth. In an attempt to tackle the chronic housing shortage caused by the rise in population, the city embarked on a large-scale building programme, creating a construction boom. As a result, two movements emerged in the city: monumentalism and verticalization. The Copan was the poster child for both. With its serpentine footprint providing the outline for its curvaceous 35-storey extrusion, there was never any doubt that Niemeyer’s design would capture the essence of a monument. The verticality of the building does not just ensure the building achieves its monument status, but it is also an effective way of providing living space for additional occupants in an urban area where land is scarce.

Unfortunately, the 1970s was not as successful a period for the Copan. It was plagued by a lack of security, leading to the social degradation of the area. Prostitution became rampant at the Copan and it was not until the 1990s that the city was able to gain enough strength to halt the urban and social blight.

Once the endemic prostitution problem dissipated, plans to revitalize the downtown area flourished and improvements to the Copan’s systems and equipment were made to recover its lost value.

Nowadays, the Copan is one of the most sought-after places to live in São Paulo with more than 30 daily inquiries for apartment rentals in the complex. Availability permitting, a small apartment can be acquired for €22,000 and a large apartment for €130,000. Compared to the local real estate market, these are very competitive prices.

Not only does the Copan serve as a residential oasis for 5,000 people, but because of its commercial ground floor, 9,000 people cross its threshold every day. It has five entrances, making it just as accessible for the workers, students and tourists in the neighbourhood as it is for the people who call it home. Since it is basically a city unto itself, it is the perfect place to grab a cup of coffee, go shopping, rent a movie or get a haircut.

Oscar Niemeyer’s socialist ideals have been personified in the jumbo-sized residential development. Its successful combination of commercial space and dwellings with its monumentality and verticality has helped the building thrive during the good times and, more importantly, helped to propel the building through the turbulent times. «

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Are you happy living in the Copan?

Not really. I would live here or in any other place. Actually, for what this building offers, I think it is very expensive. I am thinking about moving to another place where, for the same price, I can have a pool, a gym, a sauna, etcetera.

Floor plan

Name Kassem Abdul Amir Jaffal

Name Bruno Schiavo

Age 34

Age 22

Place of birth Nabatille, Lebanon

Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil

Occupation Textile trader

Occupation Architecture student

Marital status Single

Marital status Single

Tower B

Tower B

Floor 29th

Floor 2nd

Apartment number 2940

Apartment number 214

Floor area 43 m²

Floor area 30 m²

Rent R$800 (�285)

Rent R$600 (�210)

Inhabitant since April 2002

Inhabitant since September 2008

always appears, asking questions or spying. I don’t like constantly feeling like I am in high school.

Advantages of the building?

Being close to everything.

Who are the people in the pictures on the shelves?

The biggest picture is my sister, she still lives in Lebanon. My nephew is the one by her side, and underneath. The one at the bottom is me with my brother and a Lebanese friend.

Disadvantages of the building?

I can’t relax here. Neighbours love to gossip.

If I bring a girl or someone new, someone

What’s on the poster next to the tapestry?

It is a poster of the São Paulo FC. The best football team here.

The telly is quite prominent. Do you watch it a lot?

Yes, well, quite a lot. I like to watch football, music programmes and some TV series at night.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Welcoming, honest, affectionate.

Iñaki Domingo & Carla Arranz Sobrini 165

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Yes, but living here doesn’t bring happiness. It only increases the possibilities of finding it.

Advantages of the building?

The location of the building, and its ground floor. They both are very lively places and always full of activity.

Disadvantages of the building?

The little attention that was given to the design of the residential units. Some of them have bad ventilation and lighting, for example.

There’s a guitar in your room. What kind of music do you like?

I’ve played the guitar for 12 years now. I like new music, the music that keeps on innovating. It doesn’t matter if it’s bossa nova, rock or opera. I’m not eclectic though.

Otherwise, the decoration of your apartment is quite sparse.

Yes. I have rest tools (bed and chairs) and work tools (table, PC and a lamp).

Do you enjoy living in such a sober place?

Yes. In contrast with the entropy of São Paulo, I

need a place with just a few, simple elements, so that I can – at least at home – feel free of all the superficial stuff. Less is more.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Curious, rigorous, not photogenic.

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Are you happy living in the Copan?

Yes absolutely, I really like living here.

Advantages of the building?

The location of the building is great because of the proximity to transportation, urban facilities, etcetera.

Disadvantages of the building?

You never manage to leave the building without something new happening to you, without finding someone, or seeing something you weren’t expecting.

Floor plan

Name Gabriel Fernando Lopez Peret

Name Joana Barossi

Age 21

Age 23

Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil

Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil

Occupation Musician

Occupation Graphic designer

Marital status Single

Marital status Single

Tower F

Tower B

Floor 19th

Floor 29th

Apartment number 194

Apartment number 2920

Floor area 39 m²

Floor area 40 m²

Rent R$700 (�250)

Rent Owner-occupied

Inhabitant since January 2007

Inhabitant since July 2007

What’s the story behind both guitars?

I bought the first one in the USA before moving to Korea. I chose her out of a group of 35 others in 2003. The second one was a present from my mum in 2005.

You have a phonograph! CD or vinyl?

Vinyl, of course. Death to the CD! What’s the black-and-white poster of?

It’s an atomic bomb in the Pacific. I kept it when I moved out of my last home.

There’s a strange thing on your window sill.

It’s a scarecrow alien. It helps to scare the pigeons.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

1970s, rock ’n’ roll, psychotic.

Iñaki Domingo & Carla Arranz Sobrini 167

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Yes. I am very happy living here.

Advantages of the building?

This building has its own life, and inspires the whole city around it.

Disadvantages of the building?

With its massive volume, I think it should have more meeting spaces. More ‘square’, conditioned places, rather than corridors or ‘passing through’ places. But actually, this building perfectly represents my image of São Paulo.

What’s on your wall?

Many things: a painting by a friend of mine, pictures of my mum in the 1970s, etcetera.

Your books are all over the place.

Yes, my books always seem to be disordered, but actually they follow my own order. Near the bed we can see Social History of Jazz by Eric J. Hobsbawm, Poetic Anthology by Vinicius de Moraes, a book about Henri Matisse and some architecture books.

What about the doll on your night table?

It’s a little Einstein. I bought it some years ago, at

an open air fair. I have built up a lot of affection for him.

Is the bike your daily mode of transport, or do you only use it for sport?

My bike is my mode of transport. I only started to really enjoy this city when I stopped using my car. The traffic in São Paulo is chaotic, but cycling makes me happy.

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Name Geraldo Souza Anhaia Mello

Name Fabiana Caso / Martín Willy

Age 54

Age 34/41

Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil

Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil/ berlin germany

Occupation Video artist

Occupation journalist/musician

Marital status Single

Marital status partners

Tower B

Tower B

Floor 19th

Floor 17th

Apartment number 1918

Apartment number 1718

Floor area 47 m²

Floor area 47 m²

Rent R$700 (�250)

Rent Owner-occupied

Inhabitant since March 2008

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Yes, I think nowadays I would not be able to live anywhere else.

Advantages of the building?

Meeting people everywhere.

Disadvantages of the building?

There’s too much security. Outside these walls we are supposed to be serious people.

Why is the Scream mask hanging on your wall?

Because it glows, and because I find it nice. I

like icons.

You’ve written ‘Fê’ on your chest of drawers.

Does it mean anything special?

Fê (faith in Portuguese) is the problem of my life, and the mother of my children: Fernanda.

You are wearing a T-shirt that says ‘preserve o mar’ (preserve the sea) and you have three surfboards on the wall. What does the sea mean to you?

The sea is everything to me. I was born near the sea, and I spent 50 per cent of my life on the coast

Iñaki Domingo & Carla Arranz Sobrini 169

Inhabitant since July 2006

of São Paulo. It is basic scenery for me. I surf, I swim, I dive.

How long have you been surfing?

Since I was 13 years old. I started all my vices then: surfing, weed and cocaine.

Have you ever found the perfect wave?

I don’t give a fuck about that thing about ‘the perfect wave’.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Sarcastic, shrewd, bipolar.

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Fabiana Caso: Yes, absolutely. I love living in Niemeyer’s sculpture. I like to know I’m sharing it with 5,000 people.

Disadvantages of the building?

Fabiana: There is a cockroach plague in my tower. They clean every year but cockroaches always come back.

Lover by Marguerite Duras.

Martín Willy: Books are an experience that makes your mind grow, they are like candy. I love Vierzig Gedichte by Georg Trakl.

Advantages of the building?

Fabiana: The centre is great! I love the architecture around the place. Added to that, the availability of public transport. There’s no need for a car in the centre. It is also great how the Copan is a machine of inhabitancy. You can find anything from pizza places to a beauty salon or a bakery. I could live my life without leaving the Copan complex.

Your largest piece of furniture is a book case.

Fabiana: Yes, it’s Martin’s work. A very special present, inspired by Berlin.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Fabiana: curious, affectionate, art lover.

Martín: affectionate, persistent, sensitive.

What do books mean to you? And which one is your favourite?

Fabiana: Books are doors to other universes.

An invitation to knowledge. My favourite is The

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MARK No 23

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São Paulo

Floor plan

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Name Gerd Möller / Claudia Medeiros

Name Marlene Wolf

Age 45 / 46

Age 62

Place of birth Brehmen, Germany / São Paulo, Brazil

Place of birth Santa Catarina, Brazil Occupation Ex-dance teacher, retired

Occupation Engineer / Visual Artist

Marital status Single

Marital status Married

Tower B

Tower C

Floor 20th

Floor 20th

Apartment number 2020

Apartment number 201

Floor area 47 m²

Floor area 150 m²

Rent Owner-occupied

Rent Owner-occupied

Inhabitant since October 1960

Inhabitant since February 2004

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Claudia Medeiros: Yes, I do like to live here.

Advantages of the building?

Claudia: The building is in the centre of São Paulo. I chose to live here because you can walk everywhere. Plus, it’s quite close to good public transport.

Disadvantages of the building?

Claudia: There are no shared spaces, places for children, dogs, etcetera.

On your T-shirt it says ‘Watch your language’ and the sign on the wall reads ‘The music too loud, the dust too fine’ in German. You seem to have an affinity with language.

Claudia: I bought the T-shirt in a second hand shop in New York. It’s simply a promotion for a school, but I liked the slogan. I work with phrases and slogans all the time. The poster is one of a lot I did for a demonstration in the streets of São Paulo, but in foreign languages. It is a piece of a whole work and it’s my point of view about daily life.

Iñaki Domingo & Carla Arranz Sobrini 171

Your interior is in a clean Nordic style, but we’re in the middle of the tropics.

Claudia: Nordic? I do like Jacobsen and lots of other Scandinavian designers, but I never thought of my interior as being Nordic. I am addicted to my furniture and don’t need much time to collect it. Some pieces have been with me for a long time, some are more recent.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Claudia: I have to think about that!

Are you happy living in the Copan?

Yes, I do like living here.

Advantages of the building?

The sunset of the city framed by the brise-soleils. The brise-soleils are the house’s garden.

Disadvantages of the building?

After all the time I have lived here, there is nothing I don’t like.

The little porcelain figures, do you collect them?

Yes, I collect them, but you can’t find them anymore. I must have around 60 little figures. I can’t remember when I started collecting them, it’s a long time ago.

Did you make the tablecloths and cushions yourself?

Yes, I have been doing this kind of work since I was young. I spend four hours a day doing it, more or less. The work can be for myself or for a friend who places an order.

You seem to have a preference for the colour lilac.

I love lilac. This colour gives peace, serenity and happiness. It is the colour of God. He first created green and then lilac. My home is a sanctuary of God. That’s why lilac must be its colour.

How would you define yourself in three adjectives?

Authentic, sincere, persevering.