02/06/2021

New IMPA campus is the topic of a hearing at the Rio de Janeiro City Council.

The construction of IMPA's new sustainable campus was the subject of a public hearing at the Rio de Janeiro City Council, this Tuesday (1st). Participants in the meeting, held in virtual format, included the institute's general director, Marcelo Viana; the architect responsible for the project, Vinicius de Andrade, from Andrade Morettin Arquitetos; and the forestry engineer Marcelo de Carvalho, president of Biovert, the company contracted for the preparation of the land.

Led by councilman Chico Alencar (PSOL), the hearing also included the participation of the Secretary of the Environment of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere; state deputy Carlos Minc (PSB), councilman Pedro Duarte (Novo), representatives from GEO-RIO and residents' associations from Jardim Botânico and Horto. Viana and the professionals who participated in the institute's expansion project detailed the licensing process for the works and answered the participants' questions.

In his presentation, Viana explained that the sustainable campus was designed based on models from prestigious institutions abroad, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Cambridge. The structure will have 67 researcher offices, 7 classrooms, an auditorium with 213 seats, 4 study rooms, computer labs, a data processing center, a 258m² virtual library, and 129 student housing units. The director-general contextualized the situation of the institute's master's and doctoral students, for whom the accommodations are intended. Many already live in the Horto region in less than ideal conditions due to the outdated value of their scholarships.

"IMPA students come from other states and countries and live in our city, with its high cost of living, exclusively on scholarships for master's (R $ 1,500) and doctoral (R $ 2,220) studies," he emphasized.

The director-general of IMPA pointed out that the licensing process for the construction of the new campus lasted six years, was subject to rigorous control, and is within "the strictest legality." He also clarified that the institute adheres to two principles: obedience to the law and adherence to objective facts.

"Regarding objective facts, we have SMAC, which approves and grants the license based on the information it has received, as well as Rio-Águas and GEO-RIO. If these entities consider the project suitable for the location, any personal opinion from someone who finds it unsuitable is irrelevant."

Sérgio Fontoura, a civil engineer specializing in geotechnics and a resident of Rua Barão de Oliveira Castro, where access to the campus will be provided, questioned the logistics of removing the construction material, which would involve transporting 18,000 cubic meters as planned in the excavation of the land. This information was corrected by architect Vinicius de Andrade. “Based on the numbers you're presenting, I see you're talking about an outdated project. After the changes we made based on dialogue with residents, the impact was even smaller. The number dropped from 18,000 cubic meters to 9,000, exactly half.”

Slope stabilization

The licensing and inspection director of GEO-Rio, Anderson Marins, highlighted that the construction permit granted by the organization to the institute includes a series of geotechnical interventions to mitigate points of instability in the terrain. “The solution presented by IMPA was to treat some points in a localized manner, such as those near Barão de Oliveira Castro street, and others more generally, with the introduction of basing walls.” Marins clarified that all questions regarding the geology of the terrain have already been raised with IMPA, and GEO-Rio has been closely monitoring the project. “These are risks that already exist today, regardless of IMPA's implementation,” he emphasized.

Concern about the steep topography of the land was present from the very beginning of the project's conception, explained architect Vinicius de Andrade. The firm had prior consultation with two… Geotechnical companies accustomed to working with the terrain of Rio. "The professionals developed the concept, liaised with GEO-Rio, and technically developed a very interesting range of solutions: impact walls in concrete with high-strength mesh, anchored buttresses, and retaining walls."

Andrade emphasized that the objective of IMPA's containment works is precisely to provide geotechnical safety to the terrain. "The isolated anchor buttresses are to shore up the rock blocks that are there today, currently putting residents downstream from the area at risk."

Ana Julieta Carneiro, representative of the Jardim Botânico Residents' Association (AMAJB), stated that the association sees the construction of the new IMPA campus as positive for the neighborhood. “We hope they will be very successful in executing the project and that they will finally have the ideal conditions to continue honoring our country's tradition of excellence in this field of knowledge that makes us so proud.” The resident highlighted that the IMPA project is an opportunity to solve existing water and geological problems on the land. “What will become of the land if IMPA doesn't carry out all this slope containment work?” she asked.

Care for wildlife and flora

Forestry engineer Marcelo de Carvalho, president of Biovert, the company contracted to prepare the land, clarified that only the trees on the land licensed by SMAC are being removed. “All the trees have been surveyed. We have an inventory with all the species identified. We are removing only what has been authorized. Nothing beyond that.”

Eduardo Cavaliere, Secretary of the Environment for the city of Rio de Janeiro, highlighted that, according to the technical report from SMAC (Municipal Secretariat of the Environment), a large part of the tree removal on the land is due to jackfruit trees, an invasive exotic species. "It's a very large, long-standing mobilization in the Tijuca Forest, driven by the advance of this exotic species. There's a matter of tree management involved."

Environmental compensation will be achieved by planting 4,250 seedlings of native Atlantic Forest species on the land, said Carvalho. “The goal is to enrich the Tijuca National Park, which is a heritage for all of us from Rio.” The engineer also clarified to state deputy Carlos Minc (PSB) that a management plan for the area was not necessary due to the proximity of the land's forest to the forest of the Tijuca National Park.

“The licensing process was completely normal; there was no simplification whatsoever,” stated Cavaliere. The secretary also emphasized that the construction area for the IMPA site is not located within the Tijuca National Park or its buffer zone, but in an APARU (Environmental Protection and Urban Recovery Area) in Alto da Boa Vista, which implies “different levels of protection.”

Councilman Pedro Duarte (Novo) argued that the environmental issue "deserves all possible debate." But he questioned the reason for the resistance of residents in the surrounding area to the project, resorting to the term "Not In My Backyard." "Many people are in favor of projects like bars, pharmacies, and residences when they happen in another part of the city. This is worth reflecting on what we expect from the city," he explained.

“There is environmental legislation that was complied with through licensing, ICMBio verification, with all the protocols, all the processes. That is what matters for the debate. IMPA is not above the law, but it also cannot be below it. We cannot create rules beyond what exists in environmental legislation, which cannot be arbitrary, neither too little nor too much,” emphasized the councilman from the Novo party.

Legacy for Rio and Brazil

Viana highlighted the social value of the IMPA project, stating that it will bring benefits and increased value to the neighborhood. “It makes this region safer, from a water and geological point of view, and preserves an educational activity with a social function in the neighborhood.” The director-general of IMPA commented that the institute's expansion is so that it can further carry out and expand its functions. “To attract the most talented students and researchers in the world to Rio de Janeiro. To add value to this city, at a time when, it is worth emphasizing, Brazilian science is facing its greatest crisis in decades.”