MAA Intelligent Cities’ students are just back from their trip to Brazil, with Faculty Willy Müller, Jordi Vivaldi, Starsk Lara and IAAC Alumni Fernando Castilho. The subject of this year’s course Extreme Urbanism in the Experience Age will be implemented in a specific and extremely peculiar territory of the Brazilian landscape: Rio de Janeiro.

For this reason the research trip started with a tour of all the urban areas assigned to each research group. After having explored the sites for a better understanding their strengths and opportunities, the students went to the Guanabarra Palace to discuss the Rio De Janeiro Masterplan development with the Modelar a Metropole team, the Metropolitan Chamber of the state government and the Quanta Lerner Consortium.

On the following day student could present their first ideas at Pontifícia Universidade Católica, getting critics and inputs from Prof. Guilherme Lassance, IAAC Alumni Pedro Moraes and team. The crits were followed by a guided tour of the Praca Maua with Ar. Joao Pedro Backheuser, and of the Museu do Amanha designed by Santiago Calatrava.

The Jardim Botanico of Rio de Janeiro, with 6500 species distributed over 54 acres of land; the Museu de Arte Moderna designed by Affonso Eduardo Reidy; the Niteroi municipality with the famous buildings by Oscar Niemeyer and the Christo Redentor, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, were among the buildings and landmarks the students could visit during their trip.

Over the week, students and faculty could also find some time for resting and partying, enjoying a live samba and sertanejo party at Lapa 40 Graus; sunbathing in one of the most exclusive and secluded beaches of rio, The Sossego Beach and finally attending the World’s largest Carnival at the The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí – the Rio de Janeiro Carnival parade 2017.