Central Market: Garden Market

In our proposal, the result of a joint effort by three associated firms, we sought to contribute to the city in ways that go beyond the private advantages obtained through the planned program (administrative spaces, a convention center, and, above all, more parking).

From the analysis of Belo Horizonte’s history of urban transformations—especially in its central area—it becomes clear that green spaces have been continuously reduced. A notable example is the Municipal Park, whose area today represents only one-third of its original size. In light of this, we proposed the creation of a large plaza on top of the new building, with a total area exceeding 1 hectare—meaning more than 10,000 square meters dedicated to planting approximately 400 trees. As if each associated shopkeeper were donating a tree to the city—a symbolic gesture of the Market’s commitment to Belo Horizonte.

The architectural intervention aims to strengthen the architectural ensemble as a central market, drawing from its own iconography. To achieve this, we adopt characteristic elements of the existing architecture, which will be fully preserved.

The project proposes, on one hand, the complete preservation of the building’s external massing and internal spatiality, and on the other, the recreation on the roof terrace of the configuration from the Market’s early days, when circulation took place in open air.