A DARK HORSE

TWO PRESENTS Rio is well known as a pulsating city with extreme contrasts. On the one hand DOWNTOWN with all the glamour, hipster life and luxury…. and on the other hand the FAVELAS full of poorness, crime, drugs and hard life. At first sight it seems that they don’t have anything in common. But when you take a closer look you will see that they all have samba, soccer, soaps and love hotels. Especially the beach is a main meeting point for both sides, where they just have a good time hanging out and enjoying life. The motto is: LIFE IS JUST A BEACH ! The beach is a place where the social differences are reduced to a minimum. The haves lie next to the have-nots and both have fun. Here you can get the feeling of a reconciliation of their differences. It’s the same at carnivals time. But it doesn’t bridges the gulf between the poor and the rich. ONE FUTURE. The idea is, to reduce the social differences in the city community, by creating a common space. A place where both sides come together and the existing social opposites don’t mind. It’s a KARAMBOLAGE of the existing social structures. At the beginning everyone is a dark horse, a blank page without any prejudices. In these special places old and young, the haves and the have-nots can learn, study, can be educated, listen to lectures, … .Through the new social education system with mixed social layers and people of different age adjacency is created and prejudices get destroyed. Education becomes the bridge between both sides. With the rising level of knowledge, chances are balanced out and everyone is able to enjoy a better future. Through the new knowledge and education everyone has the chance to become a “SPARK”. Together these sparks create the new foundation for a good life in Rio. They are the first step forward into a better future. …become a spark THE SYMBOL In the first place the tower should be seen as an open space for meeting, where social differences are broken up. The space creates a place for a SOCIAL-MELANGE where people learn, play, love, dance, sing and learn to live together. The new created social structure of “dark horses” has the chance to find out who they are and what they want to reach. Learning consist of two sides the mental and the physical part. People create their identity and through education they get a basic knowledge. The next step is to increase their skills by learning on topics in which they are most interested. The main parts of the building are divided in ARENA, LEARNING SPACE, FIELD OF EXPERIMENTS, LIBARY, GARDEN, CABLE CAR STATION, “SAMBA” and WIND POWER. Around and under the tower the arena is placed. The towers are situated between the favela and downtown, between poor and rich. Each tower has a sphere of influence which is a positive impulse for the surrounding environment.