Edifício Itália

Edifício Itália is a skyscraper in the República district of central São Paulo, Brazil. Most sources give it 46 floors and a height of about 165 metres, though some list it as 150 to 168 metres. It was built between about 1956 and 1965 and designed by the architect Franz Heep. Its official name is Circolo Italiano, because it was built as the home of an Italian community club.

It is the fourth-tallest building in São Paulo, and a rooftop observation deck is open to visitors, so many people go up to see the sprawling city. The city of São Paulo named it a landmark building in 1992. The tower is a symbol of the Italian immigrants who helped shape São Paulo.

A club for Italian families

The Circolo Italiano club was founded in 1911 to bring Italian families in São Paulo together, and at first it met in a rented townhouse. By 1954 its members wanted a larger headquarters that would show how far the Italian community had risen. Many had arrived in Brazil as workers.

The new tower was meant to show that success, and it replaced the club's older home on the site.

The architect and the design

Franz Heep was born in Germany, came to São Paulo in 1947 and became a Brazilian citizen in 1952. Edifício Itália is his best-known work. The facade was designed to bring natural airflow into the building and keep the air steady inside while shielding people from direct sunlight.

The tower has a rounded, elongated plan wrapped in a fine grid of concrete sun-shading elements.

The Terraço Itália

The Terraço Itália restaurant opened on September 29, 1967 on the 41st floor, with wide views of the city's south. Queen Elizabeth II visited it in 1968. The 42nd floor holds a bar with live music and access to the terrace, which looks north toward the Serra da Cantareira. The Sala São Paulo, a room for events, is also on the 41st floor.

On the globe

The model shows the rounded tower wrapped in a grid of concrete sun-shades.