Galeria MeMo: projeto arquitetônico de edifício de uso misto com aplicação dos atributos da urbanidade e vitalidade

Abstract

Streets are fundamental components of urban life, functioning as spaces of encounter, exchange, and belonging. Authors such as Jacobs (2000), Netto et al. (2012), and Saboya (2010) highlight their role as a link between public and private realms, essential for promoting vitality and urbanity in cities. However, in recent decades, the urbanization model adopted in Brazil has prioritized fragmented solutions, such as gated communities and isolated commercial centers, weakening these qualities. In Natal, Brazil, the Cidade Alta neighborhood — once the city’s main commercial center — exemplifies this issue, facing abandonment, insecurity, and a loss of urban dynamism. In response to this context, this Final Graduation Project proposes Galeria MeMo, a vertical mixed-use building that incorporates architectural strategies aimed at promoting urbanity, vitality, and co-presence, as a way to contribute to the urban reactivation of Cidade Alta. The proposal stems from the author's personal experiences and the recognition of a lack of projects that integrate public and private space in a qualified manner. The general objective is to develop an architectural design that reinforces the relationship between building and city, using the concepts of urbanity and vitality as structuring principles. The specific objectives include: (1) identifying attributes that promote integration between the building and the public realm; (2) understanding design guidelines applicable to mixed-use typologies; and (3) applying strategies that encourage social interaction and active use of space. The resulting proposal presents a mixed-use building with a total computable area of 9,596.93 m², a floor area ratio (FAR) of 3.86, 41 residential units, and 15 commercial units. The project emphasizes articulation with the immediate urban context by incorporating publicly accessible internal pathways, active frontages, shaded areas, and transitional elements between public and private spaces. The intention is to propose a building that not only responds to programmatic and functional needs but also contributes positively to the urban scale, reinforcing the role of architecture as a transformative agent in the city.