International Architecture In SP: The City Features “diverse Buildings Inspired By Arab, Asian And European Countries; See List G1

1 of 19 buildings in São Paulo with architecture inspired by countries and cultures — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo Buildings in São Paulo with architecture inspired by countries and cultures — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo

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Practically everyone knows that São Paulo is a cosmopolitan city:

With 11.4 million inhabitants, it is the fifth largest country in the world;
It has the best university in Latin America, USP.
In practically every region you can find a typical restaurant somewhere in the world;
And some other factors that make the city stand out on the world map.

In addition to all of these points, there is another element that also visually highlights the capital: the large repertoire of buildings with different architectural styles.

O g1 I spoke to urban planners and drew on historical documents to list some examples that show this diversity in practice.

“São Paulo is cosmopolitan. It is a city with examples of diverse architecture. This is the result of decades of immigration. This makes São Paulo a global city,” emphasized Gabriel Rostey, urban policy advisor at Culturb.

You can also check them out Map of world architecture in São Paulo. Hover over the points, click to view the buildings and the following list:

Palacete Mourisco, in Vila Mariana (South Zone)

2 of 19 Palacete Mourisco, in Vila Mariana, south zone of SP Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo Palacete Mourisco, in Vila Mariana, south zone of SP Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo

Built between 1923 and 1926 with inspirations Arabs;
It features Moorish architecture, an Islamic style with a Western bias
It developed in the north of the African continent and on the Iberian Peninsula when it was under Arab rule
It is characterized by horseshoeshaped arches, intertwining arches, large domes and arabesques, which are decorative patterns that repeat and often depict nature.

Guinle building, in Sé (center)

3 of 19 Facade of the Guinle Building, the first skyscraper in São Paulo — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo Facade of the Guinle Building, the first skyscraper in São Paulo — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo

Designed by engineers Hipólito Gustavo Pujol Júnior and Augusto de Toledo;
Built between 1913 and 1916, the Guinle Building is the first skyscraper in São Paulo;
Its architectural style is Art Nouveau Austriancalls it secession;
It was the first to break with the city's skyline at the time, buildings typically only had three floors, and Guinle was built with eight floors;
The decoration incorporates elements of nature, but always with geometric lines that are a little more austere than the traditional Art Nouveau style.

4 of 19 Catedral da Sé, in the center of São Paulo — Photo: Celso Tavares/G1 Catedral da Sé, in the center of São Paulo — Photo: Celso Tavares/G1

Construction began in 1913 and was inaugurated in 1954, but actual completion did not take place until the 1960s;
The project comes from the German architect Maximilian Emil Hehl;
The style is eclectic with neoGothic influence;
Inside, the columns are covered with depictions of Brazilian fauna and flora;
Restoration work was carried out on the building between 2000 and 2002.

Luz train station (center)

5 of 19 Estação da Luz Photo: Vagner Campos/TV Globo Estação da Luz Photo: Vagner Campos/TV Globo

Construction lasted five years, from 1895 to 1900;
inspiration English;
Design by architect Charles Henry Driver;
The station was opened to public use in March 1901 and attracted attention due to its monumental size, beauty and the location of the track ditches, which were sunk so as not to cross public roads, creating the two iron viaducts that extended the present roads Brigadeiro Tobias and General Couto de Magalhaes;
In the center of the building there is an entrance hall and the approximately 50 meter high clock tower;
In 1946 a fire partially destroyed the room, which was reopened in 1950.
Since 2006 it has housed the Portuguese Language Museum.

Alexandre Mackenzie Building/Shopping Light, in República (center)

6 of 19 Shopping Light, in the center of São Paulo, in January 2020 — Photo: Marcelo Brandt/G1 Shopping Light, in the center of São Paulo, in January 2020 — Photo: Marcelo Brandt/G1

It was built between 1925 and 1929 and between 1939 and 1941;
inspiration in USA;
Designed by American architect William Proctor Preston;
It is one of the rare examples of eclectic North American architecture in Brazil;
With a neoclassical repertoire, the strict symmetry and geometric composition are expressed in the enclosures delineated by the vertical lines of the columns and colonnades.
It is considered a landmark in the landscape of the center and forms a harmonious ensemble with other buildings in the Vale do Appendixabaú area.
In 1999 it was converted into a shopping and service center;
The building was constructed to house the headquarters of Light, the concessionaire that monopolized energy and public transport services in the city of São Paulo for decades.

Japanese Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park (South Zone)

7 of 19 New Bonsai exhibition reopens the Japanese Pavilion in Ibirapuera Photo: Disclosure New Bonsai exhibition reopens the Japanese Pavilion in Ibirapuera Photo: Disclosure

The cultural room is a replica of a palace in Kyoto Japan;
Built in 1954 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the city of São Paulo;
The building was built in Japan, dismantled, transported by ship and reassembled in São Paulo;
The construction was carried out using a centuriesold Japanese technique in which no nails are used, the wood is perfectly assembled.

Casa das Rosas, in Bela Vista (center)

8 of 19 Casa das Rosas Photo: Reproduction/State Secretariat for Culture/Débora Nazari Casa das Rosas Photo: Reproduction/State Secretariat for Culture/Débora Nazari

It was built in 1935 and is inspired by it France;
The project comes from the ItalianBrazilian architect Felisberto Ranzzini and the company Ramos de Azevedo;
In French style, the Casa das Rosas is surrounded by gardens that allowed the daily appropriation of nature recreated in flowerbeds and greenhouses;
It is an example of the way of life of higher social classes who settled on Avenida Paulista at the end of the 19th century;
The land extending to Alameda Santos also had a vegetable garden, an orchard and facilities for raising small animals for domestic use;
Today the Haroldo de Campos Poetry and Literature Room of the Ministry of Culture of the State of São Paulo is established.

To Lai Temple, in Cotia (Grande SP)

9 of 19 The tour offered a tour to the Zu Lai Buddhist Temple in Cotia Photo: Disclosure The tour offered a tour to the Zu Lai Buddhist Temple in Cotia Photo: Disclosure

It is the largest Buddhist temple in Latin America;
inspiration in China;
On weekends it welcomes around 16,000 visitors;
In May 2000, the foundation stone was laid for the building, which covers 10,000 m² of built area and a total area of 150,000 m²;
The project was inspired by the oriental architectural style of Tang Dynasty palaces and also integrates aspects of modern Western architecture.
The works were jointly developed by Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Brazilian architects;
The work was completed in October 2003.

Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Paradise (South Zone)

10 of 19 Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in São Paulo — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in São Paulo — Photo: Ricardo Reichhardt/TV Globo

It was built in 1939 and is inspired Byzantine;
The project is by architect Paulo Taufik Camasmie;
It is a typical building of Byzantine architecture, inspired by the Basilica of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, today's Istanbul, located in the territory of Turkey;
According to the temple's archdiocese, it is the largest Byzantine temple in South America.
It is currently part of the São Paulo city guide and has recently been restored.
The first phase of the restoration focused mainly on restoring the facade and covering the domes with gold metal panels.

Vila Penteado/FAU Maranhão Building, by USP, in Consolação (center)

11 of 19 FAU Maranhão — Photo: Reproduction FAU Maranhão — Photo: Reproduction

It was built in 1902;
inspiration in Austria;
The project comes from Swedish architect Carlos Ekman;
The mansion was decorated with statues, furniture, stained glass, and European marble and took up an entire city block;
In 1949 the building was donated to the University of São Paulo;
Initially, the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Development (FAUUSP) was housed here;
The FAU's postgraduate courses are currently based here;
Vila Penteado is considered one of the major works of the neoclassical style in the city of São Paulo.

Jewish Museum/Temple BethEl, in Jardins (West Zone)

12 of 19 Jewish Museum/Templo BethEl, in the western zone of SP Photo: Reproduction/Jewish Museum Jewish Museum/Templo BethEl, in the western zone of SP Photo: Reproduction/Jewish Museum

The 1920 project comes from the Ukrainian Samuel Roeder;
inspiration Jewish and Byzantine;
The work was completed in 1960;
According to the author, the seven sides of the dome symbolize life and the number of days in the week;
The towers also have a heptagonal shape;
It has five floors with a division in between: The men's toilet is on the 4th floor; that of women is in 5th place.

Vila dos Ingleses (center)

13 of 19 Vila dos Ingleses, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/PMSP Vila dos Ingleses, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/PMSP

Construction took place between 1915 and 1919;
The project comes from engineer Eduardo de Aguiar d'Andrada;
It was a residential complex to house English professionals from the São Paulo Railway, the first railway built in São Paulo;
The sloping roofs give the buildings on the peculiar cobblestone streets an English look.
The architectural style of the properties is reminiscent of buildings in the London suburbs of the time, whose roots include Elizabethan and Victorian elements mixed with Brazilian colonial style;
The semidetached houses are 200 m² in size;
From 1930, with the decline in the presence of English residents, São Paulo's middle class occupied the village until after World War II.

Chamberlain Building, Mackenzie Presbyterian University (center)

14 of 19 Chamberlain Building, at Mackenzie University Photo: Reproduction/UPM Chamberlain Building, at Mackenzie University Photo: Reproduction/UPM

The building is located in the forest of the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in the center of São Paulo, next to the building of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism;
It is inspired by USA;
The structure was named after Reverend George Chamberlain, who, together with his wife, converted the dining hall into the American School, another university building, in 1870;
The building with the characteristics of a castle was built in 1901 as a men's dormitory.
Students of higher courses were housed here until 1940.

Vila Holândia, in Santana (North Zone)

15 of 19 Vila Holândia, in the North Zone Photo: Reproduction/Google Street View Vila Holândia, in the North Zone Photo: Reproduction/Google Street View

It was built between 1952 and 1954;
The architectural project was commissioned Netherlands;
The village, also known as Jardim Dona Rosa, was built on land that belonged to Dutch immigrants Selma de Vita Berkhout and Dirk Berkhout, the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in São Paulo.
According to research by Raíssa de Campos Marcondes, a doctoral student in history from Unifesp, Alto de Santana, in the northern zone, was considered a suitable place to build “beautiful houses” and was intended for residents to “eat well” there. End of the XIX century.

Building of the Caetano de Campos Educational Institute, current headquarters of the SP Education Secretariat (center)

16 of 19 Headquarters of the State Department of Education of São Paulo Photo: Divulgação/GESP Headquarters of the State Department of Education of São Paulo Photo: Divulgação/GESP

It was built between 1890 and 1894;
inspiration in Germany;
The project comes from the Ramos de Azevedo technical office
Opened in 1894, it is a symbolic landmark of the importance given to public primary education during the first Republican period.
The name is a tribute to Caetano de Campos, a Brazilian doctor and educator who began reorganizing education in São Paulo using modern methods in 1890;
The building's design merged formal elements of the classical language with the rational design of the space.
In 1975, it was proposed to demolish the building to build the República metro station, but there was resistance and the building became a symbol of the appreciation of republican architecture and education and an emblem of the mobilization of citizens for the preservation of the cultural heritage in Sao Paulo;
In 1979, the building began to function as the headquarters of the Ministry of Education of the State of São Paulo.

Orthodox St. Nicholas Cathedral in Liberdade (center)

17 of 19 Orthodox St. Nicholas Cathedral in São Paulo — Photo: Divulgação Orthodox St. Nicholas Cathedral in São Paulo — Photo: Divulgação

Founded by refugees in 1926 Russians in Brasil;
Designed in the Pskov style by Russian architect Konstantin Trofimoff and built by engineer Antonio Kadunc;
They received help from the SyrianLebanese community when the cathedral met at the Antiochian Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
Currently, the celebration of the liturgies is carried out partly in liturgical Slavic and partly in Portuguese.

Savoia residential park

18 of 19 Parque Residencial Savoia, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/PMSP Parque Residencial Savoia, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/PMSP

It was built in 1939 and is inspired by it Italy;
The project comes from engineer Arnaldo Maia Lello;
In the Florentine style, the eastern arches and the towershaped construction stand out; there are 13 townhouses spread over three blocks;
In the period between the First and Second World Wars in São Paulo, a significant change took place in the civilian construction sector, in the housing supply for the middle class and in the aesthetic language of residential buildings;
Villages of onestory houses or townhouses were built on foregrounds or blocks in elaborate styles such as NeoColonial, which became popular in simplified versions.
Currently houses are used as offices.

Júlio Prestes train station, in Luz (center)

19 of 19 Júlio Prestes train station, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/GESP Júlio Prestes train station, in São Paulo — Photo: Reproduction/GESP

Construction took place between 1926 and 1938;
Inspired by the designs of UNITED STATES;
The project comes from the architect Samuel das Neves and the engineer Christiano Stockler das Neves;
The Júlio Prestes station building was inspired by the Renaissance style;
It features a 75 meter high bell tower;
Although the work was not completed until 1938, the station began operations in 1930;
Between 1997 and 1999, part of the administrative sector was adapted by Júlio Prestes to create the Sala São Paulo, headquarters of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP).
The project used the central courtyard for the concert hall, which is characterized, among other things, by excellent sound quality.