In the bottom it says: With stories from reporter Alessandra Freitas

Mysteries of the city

A facade house

Although it is installed at 15 meters high, a house in Bixiga does not go unnoticed. Located on top of a commercial building at number 911 on 13 de Maio Street, the yellow painted construction reproduces a 1930s residence (check below for details). As if it wasn't unusual enough, it's just a facade - there's nothing inside. Created at a cost of 80,000 reais, it was designed by entrepreneur José J. Miguel, who works in the same building and lives in the neighborhood since 1975. His plan to honor the region's tradition came a decade ago, and the inauguration took place last October. The project was born after a research of mansions' photos of the period. The project had the help of architecture students from Belas Artes Institute. The venture also received demolition material collected in ancient villages. Miguel's next move on the spot will be to buy a car of the decade and park it in front of the address.

The coat of arms of José J. Miguel family was installed on the façade
The little oratory honors Our Lady of Conception Aparecida
The rail with iron gate follows the construction line of the 1930s
The bed of roses glued to the front wall was common in houses of the time

The child's look at drought

The battle against the waste of water in times of hydric crisis in the state will gain the daily reinforcement of children this year. Launched in December, Sabesp's 2015 calendar is fully illustrated with infants' drawings produced by children, grandchildren and nephews of company employees. To participate, the small artists should be between 4 and 12 years old and use free hand drawing techniques according to the theme "Children: guardians of the little waters". A total of 107 drawings representing sustainable and conscious attitudes about the use of the resource was grouped into two categories, depending on the age group. Six images of each were selected to integrate the final material.

Walk through the mosaics

Those who circulate around the streets of the capital can appreciate dozens of beautiful and important mosaics installed on the facade of cultural centers or even residential buildings. Contrary to what happens in Europe, most of the works here are not in museums, but in the open air. This is what shows the recently released book Mosaics in the Architecture of the 1950's - Four Modern Artists in São Paulo (Via Arts of the Arts, 196 pages, 70 reais), by the architect Isabel Ruas. The narrative is based mainly on the work of the modernists Antônio Carelli, Di Cavalcanti, Cláudio Tozzi and Bramante Buffoni. According to the author, these panels contributed not only to a transformation of our architecture, but also to the growth of the sector's economy, by moving industries of ceramic inserts, glass and other materials used in the making of murals.