The Normal School of Brotas, São Paulo, was designed between 1966 and 1967 by Sérgio Ferro, Flávio Império, and Rodrigo Lefèvre. It was a state commission, under the direction of Mayumi Souza Lima. At the time, the shortage of student places was immense and demanded cheap, well-designed solutions, carried out by local construction firms.

The building was erected between 1968 and 1970, years in which the dictatorship tightened its grip. Here we see the execution of the foundations, with auger piles, grade beams, and support blocks for the upper structure.

On the blocks, the concrete columns are reinforced. They form a free structure, independent of the walls. This would allow changes in spaces and uses over time. The beams are supported on the columns, forming porticos. Apart from the foundation, this is the only reinforced concrete structure. The rest would be made of brick and ceramic block, as we will see.

In a shed at the edge of the construction site, another stage begins. This is what we call lightweight prefabrication of structural elements. Here, curved joists made of ceramic blocks with steel are assembled; they will make up the shell of the vaulted roofs. The rebars are fixed with mortar into the grooves of the blocks. After the mortar hardens, the joists can be transported.

A shoring system is prepared to receive the joists. They are raised by a system of ropes and pulleys. The workers on the scaffolds receive the pieces, which are assembled to form the roof shell between each portico. Over it, a few transverse steel bars are placed, only to stiffen the shell with a topping mortar. At the junction between vaults, there is a filling with stone slag. Then a new topping forms the rainwater gutter. Finally, one coat of Neutrol and another of white latex are applied to reflect heat.

The vaults produce a horizontal thrust on the porticos, so the structural shoring must be kept until the vaults at the ends discharge the inclined load vector into the ground.

The masonry is brick, cheap and common in the interior of São Paulo. The brise-soleils are also brick, supporting reinforced mortar panels that protect the classroom windows from direct sun. In the band where the masonry is embedded with the vault, tubes were installed to allow cross ventilation. The classroom floor is a wooden deck, for multiple uses. It was laid on wooden blocks, without contact with ground moisture.

Chalkboard and chalk tray installed, the teacher’s work tools. The underside of the vault receives roughcast and paint. Walls are whitewashed, letting the masonry work show. The window frames are wooden, with movable ventilation flaps. The glass is installed between the mullions, and at the top, some openings serve for permanent ventilation, without glass. This system had previously been tested in the design of vaulted houses.

Electrical and plumbing pipes are always exposed. Some vaults have a transparent strip of skylight. On all sides, the school teaches how the building works. Finally, teachers and children arrive to create in this space.

It became known as “the school of the waves” of Brotas. It continues to transform. The former caretaker’s house is now the library. This is the covered central courtyard, now with the canteen. And we arrive at the school theater, also sheltered by another vault.

In the year the school was inaugurated, two of its architects and the director of the education secretariat were arrested and tortured. But the generous architectural and educational utopia prevailed. And, like Sérgio Ferro, it can say, “I am still here.”

This animation was produced to be part of the exhibition Sérgio Ferro Trabalho Livre at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo between March and June 2025.