Instituto Criar de Tv e Cinema

The “Instituto Criar de TV e Cinema” (Create TV and Cinema Institute) is a non-governmental organization designed to train young people in the field of audiovisual production: costume designers, cinematographers, makeup artists, set designers, sound operators, and audio and video editors. The initiative aims to integrate underprivileged youth into the job market.

The building chosen for the Institute's implementation is an old industrial warehouse in the Bom Retiro neighborhood of São Paulo. It was built at the beginning of the last century using structural masonry (ceramic bricks), with a wooden truss roof. The building was used as a textile factory, a printing plant, and a shooting range. With each new activity, new structures were added to the original.

The Institute's project included the construction of two recording studios, classrooms, technical laboratories, a carpentry workshop, and a library. The first step was to remove all the interferences (mezzanines, masonry, window frames) that had been added to the original building over time. The idea was to distribute the new facilities interfering as little as possible with the original construction. A basic premise was to allow for a clear distinction between the new intervention and the skeleton of the old warehouse. To achieve this, structural masonry (concrete blocks) and metal elements were used to reinforce the existing structure.
All the spaces where teaching activities take place are connected through a central plaza. Instead of fragmenting the building, its original condition is used to integrate the various environments: "transparent" spaces that communicate with each other. From any point, one can follow all the activities that take place at the Institute.

The central plaza was conceived as a large, multi-purpose area for socializing. It is the space for integrating students from different courses. It can be used for lectures, exhibitions, and other multidisciplinary activities.

Considering that most students use public transportation, a determining factor in defining the Institute's location was ease of access. The chosen building is very close to the subway, bus corridors, and Luz Station.

Bom Retiro is a neighborhood that historically concentrated textile industry activities in the city. In recent years, with the migration of these companies, a process of emptying the region began. The decision to install the Instituto Criar in this neighborhood also took into account the possibility of taking advantage of the existing urban structure and participating in the area's requalification process.

Team: Fernanda Neiva and Silvio Oksman (authors), Gil Mello (collaborator)

Photos: Nelson Kon