engineering

Mirante do Vale

Mirante do Vale is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mirante do Vale rather than just read about it. In short: Mirante do Vale (Portuguese: Condomínio Mirante do Vale, loosely translated as Overlook of the Valley Condominium), also called Palácio W. Zarzur or Palácio Zarzur Kogan in honour of its architects, is a 170 m (558 ft) mixed-use skyscraper located in São Paulo, Brazil, in the area of Downtown São Paulo and Vale do Anhangabaú.

Key takeaways

Mirante do Vale belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mirante do Vale to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mirante do Vale from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mirante do Vale (Portuguese: Condomínio Mirante do Vale, loosely translated as Overlook of the Valley Condominium), also called Palácio W. Zarzur or Palácio Zarzur Kogan in honour of its architects, is a 170 m (558 ft) mixed-use skyscraper located in São Paulo, Brazil, in the area of Downtown São Paulo and Vale do Anhangabaú. Constructed from 1959 to 1966, it was the tallest building in São Paulo for 54 years until 2022 when it was surpassed by Platina 220. Mirante do Vale was also the tallest in Brazil until 2014 when it was surpassed by Millennium Palace in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina.

Construction The building architects were structural engineers Waldomiro Zarzur (1922–2013) and Aron Kogan (1924–1961), Brazilian engineers, who graduated from the School of Engineering at Mackenzie Presbyterian University. Aron Kogan was murdered during construction, in 1961.

History Designed by engineer Waldomiro Zarzur with Aron Kogan, the Mirante do Vale is located in the region of Vale do Anhangabaú, having access via three entrances, one on Prestes Maia Avenue, another on Pedro Lessa Square, and another on Brigadeiro Tobias Street. The construction of the skyscraper took six years. Waldomiro was an engineer with considerable experience. His first work, a house at Afonso Brás Street, Vila Nova Conceição, was performed when he was just 21 and still studying engineering at Mackenzie. At that time, the friendship with fellow student Aron Kogan became a society, which lasted until 1960, when Kogan was murdered during the robbery his car. Waldomiro took over the enterprise. It's possible to have an aerial view of Vale do Anhangabaú by visiting the observatory of the Altino Arantes Building or of the Edifício Itália, places that seemed to be higher. It can also be seen from Viaduto do Chá and Viaduto Santa Efigênia, the latter well in front of the building. During certain periods, the concrete and steel lattice structure at top of the building supported large neon signs advertising various brands, such as Fanta and Sharp, among others. Those signs were since long removed, due recent laws of "Cidade Limpa". The building was known as the Palácio Zarzur Kogan (Zarzur Kogan Palace) until 1988. Being located in a valley, Mirante do Vale sits on a lower part of the city compared to the other two and is, therefore, perceived as being lower than other buildings in the city, such as the Edifício Itália or the Altino Arantes Building. Another factor that contributes to the relative lack of knowledge of people towards the building is that it was closed for public visitation, although access to the top can be granted by permission.

Observation On top of Mirante do Vale, it is possible to observe the entire region of Downtown São Paulo and part of the Paulista Avenue, including buildings Itália and Altino Arantes. A bird's eye view of Mirante do Vale is possible from the observation decks of either the Altino Arantes Building or the Edifício Itália.

See also List of tallest buildings in South America List of tallest buildings in Brazil List of tallest buildings in São Paulo

Sources

External links

(in English) Mirante do Vale in Emporis (in English) Mirante do Vale in SkyscraperPage (in Portuguese) Interesting data of Skyscraper (in Portuguese) Waldomiro Zarzur, the owner of the building

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mirante do Vale

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mirante do Vale claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mirante do Vale before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mirante do Vale ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mirante do Vale

In research: Mirante do Vale appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mirante do Vale in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mirante do Vale is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1966 establishments in Brazil, Buildings and structures completed in 1966, Central Zone of São Paulo, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mirante do Vale outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mirante do Vale in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mirante do Vale means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mirante do Vale out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mirante do Vale in simple terms?

Why does Mirante do Vale matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mirante do Vale?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mirante do Vale.