The Free University of the Environment in Curitiba, Brazil, is sited in a former granite quarry, like the "Wire Opera," also by Domingos Bongestabs.
Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images

Like many public projects in Curitiba, the Free University of the Environment was built largely from salvaged eucalyptus utility poles.
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Classrooms at the Free University of the Environment, by Domingos Bongestabs, are arrayed around a central stair within a circular framework of poles.
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At Poty Lazzarotto Garden in Curitiba, a gradually curved building stands on axis with a dramatic reflecting pool.
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Water from the reflecting pool at Poty Lazzarotto Garden eventually flows to a waterfall at the edge of a quarry site.
Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images

An observation deck lies at the apogee of the Poty Lazzarotto Garden building's curve, affording dramatic views of the waterfall and quarry.
Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images

Curitiba's tube stations are an integral part of the city's highly successful public transit system.
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Riders wait for a bus in one of the tube stations in Curitiba, Brazil.
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Diagram drawing of the Curitiba bus system.
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Teatro Guaíra, by Rubens Meister, is a significant work of public architecture developed with a more typical high-investment approach.
Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images