Fábio Penteado in Crowd Scale: Stories about Architecture

Fábio Penteado in Crowd Scale: Stories about Architecture attempts to reveal the character of the architect that challenged the commonplace in many ways. Drawing projects for the crowd, while the markets preferred privilege, and acting as a journalist, professor and leader for the architect class, he made architecture into a political gesture, and cohabitation into a principle. His trajectory is reconstructed in this book by journalist Paulo Markun — his close friend —, who recalls ideas, conflicts and stories about Penteado, in addition to presenting his most important projects. The edition, featuring pictures of construction and sketches, also includes powerful quotes from Fábio Penteado and a chronology of his life and work.

Fábio Penteado became a Marxist during the Cold War and a time of political repression in Brazil. His principles can be seen in his projects — he attempted to face the challenge of creating for crowds, never losing touch with the human dimension. He projected theaters like public squares, stadiums integrated to the landscape, large mixed-use towers for downtown São Paulo, and housing complexes for low-income residents based in accessibility and urban density. Malleable projects that attempted to respond to the crowing demand for public spaces that would serve the population’s many needs. He worked with reality as his raw material: each proposition was based on the premise that architecture should contribute to improving society and culture.

Responsible for a unique oeuvre among São Paulo modern masters, Fábio Penteado developed a formally diverse production, awls coherent with his ideal of more generous cities and a more equal society. He witnessed a rapidly-evolving São Paulo, worked alongside colleagues such as Paulo Mendes da Rocha and Carlos Barajas Millan, and expanded his work into journalism, teaching, and professional politics at IAB. “In fluid prose, Markun introduces us to Fábio’s many facets like a conversation — and, through his words, the reader becomes an interlocutor,” summarizes architect and curator Guilherme Wisnik.

Excerpt
“A neoclassical building, richly and imposingly constructed, remains closed most of the time, while the crowd walks by, never having the chance to enter it. The most repeated example in Fábio’s explanations is the São Paulo Municipal Theater. This model was the antithesis of Fábio’s premises: ‘I’d ask myself: Does it have to be like this? Wouldn’t it be possible to reconcile other activities with the shows? Wouldn’t there be a way for the crowd, indifferently walking by, to enjoy the space?’

About the author
Paulo Markun was born in São Paulo in 1952. A professional journalist since 1971, he began his career on the city beat of large newspapers and, in 1975, migrated towards television, where he worked as a reporter, anchor and commentator. Throughout is professional trajectory, he was a copy editor, a managing editor, and an editor in chief, presented Roda Viva for ten years, presided over the Padre Anchieta Foundation, founded press vehicles, published another fifteen books, directed documentaries, consulted for Unesco and won various awards as a writer and communicator.

He met the architect Fábio Penteado in 1972, on the occasion of an interview that began a deep, lasting friendship. The idea for this biography came about in 1998, but the text remained unpublished for many years, finally recuperated and redeveloped alongside the creation of the Fábio Penteado Archive.
em São Paulo, em 1952. Jornalista profissional desde 1971, iniciou a carreira como repórter de cidades em grandes jornais e, a partir de 1975, migrou para a televisão, onde atuou como repórter, apresentador e comentarista. Ao longo de sua trajetória profissional, foi editor, chefe de reportagem e diretor de redação, apresentou por dez anos o programa Roda Viva, presidiu a Fundação Padre Anchieta, criou veículos de comunicação, publicou outros quinze livros, dirigiu documentários, foi consultor da Unesco e recebeu diversos prêmios como comunicador e escritor.

Conheceu o arquiteto Fábio Penteado em 1972, quando o entrevistou, dando início a uma amizade duradoura e profunda. A ideia desta biografia surgiu em 1998, mas o texto permaneceu inédito por muitos anos, até ser retomado e desenvolvido com a criação do Arquivo Fábio Penteado.

Specifications
Title Fábio Penteado na escala da multidão: Histórias sobre arquitetura
[Fábio Penteado in Crowd Scale: Stories about Architecture]
Author Paulo Markun
Jacket copy Guilherme Wisnik
Language Portuguese
Page count 192
Publisher Cobogó
Co-publisher Arquivo Fábio Penteado
ISBN 978-65-5691-183-0
Graphic design Celso Longo and Daniel Trench
Format Softcover
Size 15.5 x 22.5 cm
Year 2025
Price R$ 120.00