Benjamim Saviani

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Instituto Pedra, São Paulo, Brazil
Email: benjamim@institutopedra.org.br

ABSTRACT  Recently, the restoration work of Vila Itororó—an architectural complex in central São Paulo, built around the 1920’s—has been carried out, enabling applied field research for restoration as well as for historical perspective of the social and cultural development that took place at Vila Itororó. Alongside the restoration work, a cultural centre has been installed on the site, embracing the opportunities of creating a new agenda for Vila Itororó with the community while the restoration takes place. Through this, Vila Itororó has been able to bring the discussion and practise of restoration closer to the civil-society, reaching a public beyond the academic circles. The rich environment produced by these efforts has allowed for an outlet of publications and discussions regarding issues that range from architectural prospection to the role that heritage can play with our society in the city of the twenty-first century. This paper intends to present some of these discussions, their origins, insights and other findings that this experience has fostered.

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KEYWORDS  Brazil, São Paulo, Vila Itororó, Architectural Prospection, Restoration work

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Received September 13, 2017; accepted Feburuary 2, 2018.

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