Mirante do Vale Building (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Condomínio Mirante do Vale'', loosely translated as ''Overlook of the Valley Condominium''), commonly called Mirante do Vale, is a 170-metre (558 ft) office

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

located in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil, in the area of

Downtown São Paulo ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

and

Vale do Anhangabaú Vale do Anhangabaú (Anhangabaú Valley) is a region in the city center of São Paulo, located between the viaducts do Chá and Santa Ifigênia.

. Constructed from 1959 to 1960, it is the tallest building in São Paulo, and it was also the tallest in Brazil until 2014 when it was surpassed by

Millennium Palace Millennium Palace Camboriú is a residential condominium skyscraper in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil. It was the first building in 50 years to surpass Mirante do Vale as the tallest in Brazil, a position it held before being surpas ...

in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina.

Construction

The building was built and designed by structural engineer Waldomiro Zarzur and architect Aron Kogan.

History

Designed by engineer Waldomiro Zarzur with Aron Kogan, the Mirante do Vale is located in the region of Vale do Anhangabaú, having access via three entrances, one on Prestes Maia Avenue, another on Pedro Lessa Square, and another on Brigadeiro Tobias Street. The construction of the skyscraper took two years. Waldomiro was an engineer with considerable experience. His first work, a house at Afonso Brás Street, Vila Nova Conceição, was performed when he was just 21 and still studying engineering at Mackenzie. At that time, the friendship with fellow student Aron Kogan became a society - which lasted until 1960, when Kogan was murdered Waldomiro took over the company. It's possible to have an aerial view of Vale do Anhangabaú by visiting the observatory of the

Altino Arantes Building The Altino Arantes Building ( pt, Edifício Altino Arantes), also known as the Banespa Building (in Portuguese: ''Edifício do Banespa''), and most popularly by Banespão (big Banespa) is an important Art deco skyscraper located in São Paulo, Br ...

or of the

Edifício Itália Edifício Itália (Portuguese for "Italy Building") (whose official name is Circolo Italiano) is a tall 46-story skyscraper located in the República district, Central Zone of São Paulo, Brazil. Built from 1956 to 1965, it has a rooftop observat ...

, places that seem to be higher. It can also be seen from Viaduto do Chá and Viaduto Santa Efigênia, the latter well in front of the building. During certain periods, the concrete lattice structure at top of the building supported large neon signs advertising various brands, such as

Fanta Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...

and

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 19 ...

, among others. The building was known as the Palácio Zarzur Kogan (Zarzur Kogan Palace) until 1988. Being located in a valley, Mirante do Vale sits on a lower part of the city compared to the other two and is, therefore, perceived as being lower than other buildings in the city, such as the

or the

. Another factor that contributes to the relative lack of knowledge of people towards the building is that it is closed for public visitation, although access to the top can be granted by permission.

Observation

On top of Mirante do Vale, it is possible to observe the entire region of Downtown São Paulo and part of the

Paulista Avenue Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista in Portuguese, ''Paulista'' being the demonym for those born in the state of São Paulo) is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo, Brazil. It stretches and runs northwest to southeast. Its northwest p ...

, including buildings Itália and Altino Arantes. A bird's eye view of Mirante do Vale is possible from the observation decks of either the Altino Arantes Building or the Edifício Itália.

Construction

History

Observation

See also

Sources

External links