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“Residencial Casa Atlântica” in Copacabana, Zaha Hadid’s first project in South America, was canceled. O Globo reported the cause as “the delay of the city hall to release the work license and the consequent delay of the launch and inauguration of the project.” The luxury residential condominium was designed in 2013 and should have been opened in time for the Olympics.
First conceived as a luxury hotel, the building was changed to a residential project with 30 residential units. According to businessman Omar Peres, who spearheaded the venture and commissioned Zaha Hadid, construction was supposed to begin in January of this year. However, delays caused the investment group to drop out and now the land where the building was supposed to be built is up for auction.
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The land acquired by Peres in 2013 used to be occupied by the Casa de Pedra, Avenida Atlântica’s only remaining residence of in Copacabana. The building was demolished in October 2013 and, since then, the plot has been empty.
On the five years of bureaucratic hurdles that led to the cancellation of the project, Peres says: “The project has run its course. Rio loses when it could have had the only Zaha Hadid in Latin America. I will save [the project] to one day construct it in another place.”
News via O Globo.