Other Interpretations on Tower H

Abstract

The essay ‘Other Interpretations on Tower H’ is the result of a keen interest in exploring the multiple interpretative possibilities concerning a specific abandoned residential building in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca district. Tower H was part of modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer’s ‘Centro da Barra’ project (1969), developed in this up-and-coming neighbourhood at that time. The research for this text began in 2021, while the tower was under structural inspection. As a result of it, I identified ‘ambiguous’ and ‘open’ aspects of the building that relate to Ignasi de Solà- Morales’ terrain vague concept. The recent demolition of the tower’s sealing surface and the subsequent excavation of a landfilled area next to the tower have changed the city’s perception and memory fluxes of the building: from the past to the present; from closed to exposed interiors; from covered to excavated landfilled sand that was buried since the tower construction. All of this brings back memories of the neighbourhood’s landscape not only during the presence of this imposing building but also prior to its existence. A photographic experiment promoted a tactical experience inside this enigmatic architectural object. Additionally, it analysed displacement operations from the last two years, allowing new interpretations on this landmark.