The adoption of city blocks as a strategy for sustainable renovation in neighborhoods: a case study in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

This article presents a strategy in which urban blocks of buildings are adopted as the unit for renovation projects of built-up neighborhoods. The renovation of buildings and neighborhoods in order to achieve sustainability is a common practice in many cities and has been subject of various studies presented in the literature on urban renewal. In this paper, the renovation of an apartment building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, focusing on sustainability and quality of life, brought about a change in scale, from building to urban block in the investigation. During the process of surveying the case in question, the uniformity of the buildings of Copacabana, the neighborhood chosen for the study, stood out. The majority of buildings use similar construction techniques, are 50 or more years old, have 10 to 12 floors and have courtyards in the center of the urban block. In most cases too, no gaps exist between buildings. The change in scale for renovation projects from single buildings to city blocks has important advantages. Renovation administration can be unified, greater financial and political cohesion can be achieved and infrastructure and services can be consolidated, among other benefits. The Smart Grid and Smart Cities concepts can be adopted for the existing buildings as well as future constructions within a block, since they are independent and can be integrated into complementary projects. In this study, the renovation projects considered: ground floors, basements and rooftops as connecting points for the development of a consolidated design. Selected solutions, made possible by adopting urban blocks as building units, are demonstrated, including their strategic potential.