17/05/2021

ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW IMPA CAMPUS

Fotomontagem de como ficará o novo campus do IMPA

The Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) began construction in April on its new campus in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The construction project has received all necessary licenses and approvals from the relevant authorities, such as the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, and is in full compliance with environmental legislation .

To keep society and the IMPA community informed, we created the website www.impa.br/novocampus , where we detail the project and the benefits it will bring to the region, the city of Rio de Janeiro, and Brazilian science. The site also includes the timeline, permits, contact information for the independent Ombudsman, and answers to frequently asked questions in a FAQ.

Nevertheless, the institute's expansion has been the target of a misinformation campaign on social media. Therefore, in this statement, we reiterate the fundamental points of this process and all the precautions taken since the donation of the land to IMPA in 2014.

Environment

The construction of the new campus is outside the Tijuca National Park and outside the Buffer Zone . We have the approval and authorization of the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, and the start of construction was preceded by almost 30 technical studies. A biologist is monitoring the work on the site, and a veterinarian is available to provide assistance in case of any eventuality.

The institute is committed to minimizing its impact on nature. The construction occupies less than 4% of the land. Among other environmental compensation measures, there will be replanting of native species equivalent to 16.5 times the number of trees that may eventually be removed. No endangered tree species will be removed.

Following an unfounded anonymous complaint of “river course diversion”, environmental police officers visited the site, but found no irregularities. IMPA presented all the requested documentation. A technical assessment by the Civil Police, on Friday (7), confirmed the total legality of the work, which resumed normal operation.

The project won the most important international competition for sustainable architectural projects, the 2017 Recognition Award from the Lafarge Holcim Foundation in Switzerland. Built on stilts, the buildings, with three floors above ground, will be staggered in relation to the terrain, maintaining the flow of local fauna. The roofs of the buildings will have gardens ("green roofs") for thermal comfort and photovoltaic panels for energy generation. There will also be rainwater harvesting and reuse. Learn more at https://impa.br/novocampus/sustentabilidade/

Dialogue with neighbors

In recent years, IMPA held 13 meetings with neighbors on the street and four neighborhood associations in Jardim Botânico (AMA JB, AMA Horto, AMA Alto JB, and AMA Barão de Oliveira Castro), in addition to frequent email and personal contact. Residents of houses near the site and the neighborhood associations had access to the project from the beginning and made numerous requests for changes. Over time, IMPA fulfilled 11 of these requests – including reducing the size of the building by eliminating an entire block, reducing the number of accommodations by 22.3% , setting back the street and access stairs, and creating a green belt around the building to maintain the privacy of the neighbors.

To minimize the impact on the region, the works take place from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm, for a shorter duration than permitted by the Noise Law – which allows the use of machinery and equipment in construction, demolition and works in general from 7 am to 10 pm.

Water security

The first phase of the project aims to provide greater stability and water security to the land, improving the complex situation of water runoff in the region. The public drainage network will be improved, being resized to handle the recent rainfall volumes recorded.

The institute will carry out slope stabilization, drainage, and rainwater harvesting and reuse. Gutters and hydraulic staircases will form a protective belt around neighboring residences.

Learn more: https://impa.br/novocampus/sustentabilidade/

Expansion objectives

The construction of the new campus will allow for the expansion and diversification of IMPA's activities, with the goal of contributing even more to Brazilian society. One of the institutions responsible for Brazil's inclusion in the elite of world mathematics, the institute is proud to have trained great names in research, such as Artur Avila, winner of the Fields Medal – the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics. Furthermore, IMPA plays a fundamental role in popularizing mathematics, training teachers for basic education, and identifying new talents through the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP). The growth of the institute's physical structure aims to reinforce initiatives in the area of education, as well as expand partnerships with the productive sector for the development of technological solutions.

The new facilities include offices for researchers; study rooms; classrooms; computer labs; a data processing center; a 213-seat auditorium; a 258m² reading room with a virtual library; and housing units to accommodate students and visiting researchers. These units will be primarily occupied by students who come from all over the world and who live exclusively on their master's (R $ 1,500) or doctoral (R $ 2,200) scholarships and have difficulty finding adequate housing in Rio de Janeiro. For this reason, in recent years, IMPA has lost many talented individuals to institutions in cities with a lower cost of living and to universities abroad.

The new structure, comparable to that of the world's leading research centers, will allow the institute to develop and contribute even more to research. The expansion benefits students, researchers, the scientific community, as well as the people of Rio de Janeiro and Brazilians in general.