The building is located in the Gamboa neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro’s Port Zone, in
an area preserved by the Rio Heritage Institute, called APAC – Area for the Protection
of the Cultural Environment.
Project Name: Edifício Gamboa
Studio Name: MZNO Arquitetura
Location: Rio de janeiro, Brazil
Status: Built
Image Credits: Felco
This region, also known as Little Africa, became home to Afro-Brazilians looking for
work and a sense of community during the 19th century. Today it stands out as a
major creative hub in search of the democratization of culture, through the continuity
between past and present.
The Gamboa Building project proposes the restoration of the original external façades
and almost total internal demolition to suit the desired mixed-use program, with
commercial on the first floor and residential on the upper floor.
Various internal elements have been preserved to commemorate the construction
processes, such as the marking of the demolished wall; the arch-shaped portico, now
stripped bare, revealing the pre-existing bricks and layers of paint; the demolished
wooden door that gives access to the outside area, on whose walls the demarcation of
the old bathrooms in blue tiles is maintained.
The commercial areas have recently been occupied by the art gallery Galeria Asfalto.
