Unoccupied spaces within the city are typically viewed as conditions lying somewhere between problem and potential. It is partly the role of architecture and urbanism to thoughtfully mobilize these spaces within the urban context. With these issues in mind, the firm Vazio S/A proposes the activation of spaces deemed residual in the urban landscape or in specific contexts, drawing on the potential that vacant spaces offer.
In a relatively young city like Belo Horizonte, the marks of growth and expansion are made visible by the real estate market, with massive building skeletons emerging in the landscape. This was the context in the late 1990s when Carlos M. Teixeira published História do Vazio em Belo Horizonte [History of Void in Belo Horizonte], documenting these spaces and suggesting new proposals based on everyday informality, impermanence, and mutation.
