The Project
Integrated project with nature
In order to expand its activities and attract new researchers, the new campus will be built on an area of 251,824.72 m², received by private donation, adjacent to IMPA’s current headquarters.
The innovative architectural project by Andrade Morettin Arquitetos won the Lafarge Holcim Foundation’s 2017 Recognition Award for integrating the built area with nature, reducing the impact on the forest and urban environment and for the climate modulation of the buildings. The Swiss award is the most important international competition for sustainable architecture projects.
Project selection
The project was chosen through a competition held in 2015, in which architectural firms from all over the country took part.
The project is based on four linear pavilions arranged along the contours of the land. They are light constructions, raised on pillars, which hover above the ground, creating a network of covered and uncovered spaces with great connectivity but low impact on the physical environment.
The pavilions are articulated by perpendicular access lines that connect the different levels of the complex. They connect to the upper plaza, which acts as the focal point of campus life. Collective activities are accessed from this square.
New structure for students and researchers
The built-up area (8,762.76m2) will occupy just 3.48% of the land. The new campus will have 67 offices for researchers, 7 classrooms, a 213-seat auditorium, 4 study rooms, computer labs, a data processing center and a 258m² reading room with a virtual library. 129 student housing units, a cafeteria and communal areas will also be built.
IMPA's headquarters throughout history
When it was founded on October 15, 1952, IMPA did not have its own headquarters and was temporarily housed in a room at the headquarters of the Brazilian Center for Physics Research – CBPF (created in 1949), in Praia Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro.
In 1957, it moved to Rua São Clemente, in Botafogo, where it remained for 10 years. In 1967, the institute moved to a historic building on Rua Luis de Camões, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, which now houses the Hélio Oiticica Municipal Arts Center.
As IMPA developed, a larger building became essential to house students and researchers. In July 1981, the current headquarters were inaugurated in Jardim Botânico, in Rio’s south zone. 40 years later, the institute plans to expand its activities with the construction of a new campus.
1957-67
Rio de Janeiro, Botafogo
1967-81
Rio de Janeiro, Center
Since 1981
Rio de Janeiro, Botanical Garden
New Campus
Rio de Janeiro, Botanical Garden
