The modular building in series: Gemini, Lark and Coronet

Abstract

This research aims to deepen the work previously initiated by the professor Cesar Shundi Iwamizu, from his doctoral thesis entitled Eduardo de Almeida: reflexões sobre estratégias de projeto e ensino. Thus, the object of this research is, among several multifamily buildings of the architect, the Gemini building of 1969 as a turning point in his architectonic production. This project was carried out by the construction company Formaespaço, and it was part of the construction boom in the city of São Paulo in the 1960s. In spite of being a project aimed at the city’s expanding middle class, it was a project of fast and cheap execution. In addition to that, one of the determinations of the constructor was for the design of the building to be reproducible in other urban lots. To solve these demands, Eduardo de Almeida opted for a rationalized and modular project, using a series of industrialized elements. In this way, I chose to delve into Gemini building and its repetitions — Lark and Coronet — in other urban lots in order to understand the design concept of this modular building project. Therefore, I tried to understand how the elements created by the architect in the building and on the ground floor differ in their benefits, while their designs change.