Conceived to positively impact the region of Campo Alegre-SC, the ARCHITECTS OFFICE designs the PARAÍSO DAS ARAUCÁRIAS Masterplan, a project that connects people, architecture and landscape in a sublime and virtuous urbanism experience amid the countryside.

The town of Campo Alegre, located in Santa Catarina state, at the southern area of Brazil, is a county of 12,000 inhabitants gifted with one of the most representative species of the local flora, the Araucária Tree. This tree species dates back more than 200 million years, since the American and African continents were close together. The Araucária can reach impressive dimensions, with up to 50 meters in height and trunks with a diameter of up to 2,5 meters. The magnificence of this specimen, combined with the historic background it carries, were determining for the present project to receive a name that means ‘Paradise of Araucária Trees’.

The area chosen for the development of this urbanity intertwined with nature is one of the most prosperous in southern Brazil, with a high concentration of income. Cities such as Balneário Camboriú, Joinville and Curitiba, the state capital, are part of this ecosystem. Traditionally, Campo Alegre is a place for second or third homes, but it is increasingly becoming a priority option, especially as the regional population ages and reaches one of the longest life expectancies in the country. This change is reflected in the demand for quieter urban centers capable of offering intense contact with nature, making it possible to reframe the boundaries between countryside and city. It also shows Campo Alegre's potential as an ecotourism destination and the great importance of promoting sustainable development integrated into the urbanization process and expansion.

Thus, based on the analysis of the topography, vegetation and solar insolation, 150,000 square meters were picked out, out of a total of 600,000 square meters, that are material of a masterplan based on sectorization that enabled a division between two large atmospheres. In the south sector, a place of urban expansion connected with the city center, close to the Paraíso Waterfall, with a strong tourist attractiveness, the buildings suggested reach the maximum height of the ground floor plus 1 floor, eventually reaching a maximum of 3. A viewpoint was designed to serve as a guideline for contemplating the waterfall; and a special care was given to valuing architecture derived from the German tradition, brought by the immigrants who settled nearby between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The retrofit of a Germanic architecture residence allows the contrast and harmonization between secular and contemporary architecture, guiding the design of the other buildings. A welcoming square for visitors, which celebrates meetings and enhances the public space as the main element of urban vitality, is part of a system of green and leisure areas in the heart of the blocks. The blocks, in turn, counteract in a more local scale, placing the people, especially children, first.

The northern sector, on the other hand, was placed to preserve a smooth transition between the urban and rural areas, with the installation of a high-end residential condominium, making the best possible use of the topographical position and the future view offered by the condominium residences, in which the landscape itself takes place as the project's protagonists.

This masterplan awakens the Campo Alegre's touristic potential and the consolidation of the local economy with a contemporary proposition by listing social, programmatic, ecological and financial solutions in synergy with the community. The creation envisages an entire urban ecosystem integrated with nature prioritizing walkability, accessibility, incentive to mixed use, preservation and celebration of tangible and intangible assets of the region with a unique identity designed by ARCHITECTS OFFICE.

Masterplan: ARCHITECTS OFFICE

Partner in charge: Greg Bousquet

Architecture director: João Vieira

Dedicated team: Sávio Jobim, Carolina Passos, Claudia Bresciani, Kelly Bozzato, Patrícia Rodrigues, Thiago Buccieri Santana, Evandro Nunes