Ruy Ohtake: the architect who made curves and colors his own language traduzido por: OPENROUTER

Ruy Ohtake was born in São Paulo on January 27, 1938, and grew up immersed in the world of art — the firstborn son of Japanese-Brazilian visual artist Tomie Ohtake, one of the most important figures in Brazilian abstract art. This creative environment was decisive in shaping his vision.

In 1960, he graduated from the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP) and, while still an undergraduate, was already carrying out his first projects in the field. In 1961, Ruy Ohtake founded the office that would bear his name.

Throughout six decades of career, the architect accumulated more than 300 works and 25 awards, including the Gold Collar. He developed projects for the most varied uses: single-family homes, commercial and institutional buildings, public facilities, urban parks, and social housing.

From the Paulista school to his own language: who was Ruy Ohtake?

Ruy Ohtake's training was marked by the influence of the two great schools of modern Brazilian architecture: the Paulista and the Carioca. Vilanova Artigas and Oscar Niemeyer are declared references in his trajectory — and the heritage of exposed concrete, characteristic of the Paulista school, is present above all in his first residential projects, produced between the 1960s and 1970s. Works such as the Tomie Ohtake (1966), Nadir Zacarias (1970), and Fábio Yassuda (1974) residences are examples of this period, when structural rigor dialogued with an already very singular plastic expressiveness.

Ruy Ohtake (CAU BR/Divulgação)

Over time, Ruy Ohtake began to broaden his language and distance himself from the predominant rationalism. The aesthetic turning point was consolidated with the construction of the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo, in 1981 — a moment when the architect took on a more explicit commitment to the vibrant colors and organic forms that would become his trademark. In the following decades, his work gained maturity and boldness in equal doses, without ever giving up structural clarity and the integration between space, nature, and people.

Curves, colors, and concrete: the marks of an unmistakable architecture

Ruy Ohtake's formal vocabulary is recognizable from a distance. The curves, generally executed in exposed concrete, are the most characteristic element of his projects, giving the buildings a sensuality and lightness that seem to defy the hardness of the material. Added to them are the strong colors, used on the facades as a compositional element — not as ornament, but as part of the building's visual structure.

Casa-ateliê de Tomie Ohtake - Projeto de Ruy Ohtake e Adolfo Sato. (Ohtake/Divulgação)

Ruy Ohtake also became notable for using materials that contrasted with his extremely light stroke, and for integrating light, vegetation, and human scale into all of his projects. For him, architecture was, above all, a work of art — and should cause surprise and emotion. "If it doesn't mark an era or cause surprise and emotion, my work makes no sense," he declared on several occasions.

The most striking works of Ruy Ohtake's career

Ruy Ohtake's production spans very distinct scales and uses, but some works stand out for their repercussion, formal boldness, and the impact they had on the urban landscape.

Hotel Unique (2002)

(Divulgação/Divulgação)

Located on Avenida Brigadeiro Luiz Antônio, in São Paulo, the Hotel Unique is probably Ruy Ohtake's best-known work. The seven-story building has a facade in the shape of an inverted arch (100 meters long) that resembles a greenish half-moon supported by two concrete bases. On the terrace, the iconic red pool, signed in partnership with landscape designer Gilberto Elkis, has become a symbol of both the hotel and the city.

Tomie Ohtake Institute (2001)

Instituto Tomie Ohtake (Ohtake/Divulgação)

Inaugurated in November 2001, the Tomie Ohtake Instituteis a tribute by the architect to his mother — and one of the most relevant spaces for contemporary art in São Paulo. The building, located in the Pinheiros neighborhood, is one of the few examples in the city of a space designed, both architecturally and conceptually, to host art, architecture, and design exhibitions on an international scale.

Tietê Ecological Park (1976)

Parque Ecológico do Tietê (Divulgação/Divulgação)

A project that earned Ruy Ohtake the Architecture Biennial Award, the Tietê Ecological Park is one of the largest urban parks in Latin America and a pioneering example of landscape architecture committed to the integration between city, nature and public leisure. The project, developed back in the 1970s, anticipates discussions on urban sustainability that would only gain traction decades later.

Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo (1981)

Embaixada Brasileira em Tóquio, por Ruy Ohtake (Reprodução/Divulgação)

Located in the sophisticated Aoyama neighborhood, on a street just 5.90 meters wide, the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo is one of the most representative projects of Ruy Ohtake's creative maturity. The project consolidates the use of vibrant colors and regular geometric forms as central elements of the architect's language, characteristics that would become his signature in the following decades.

The architecture of Ruy Ohtake

One of the most significant chapters in Ruy Ohtake's trajectory is his involvement with the Heliópolis community, in the South Zone of São Paulo. The project was born from a misunderstanding: in 2003, a magazine attributed to the architect the statement that "what I find ugliest in São Paulo is Heliópolis". What he had actually said was "what I find ugly is the difference between the wealthy neighborhoods and Heliópolis". Community leader João Miranda approached Ohtake not to demand explanations, but to make an invitation: help make Heliópolis more beautiful.

Conjunto Residencial de Heliópolis. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)

The architect accepted the challenge and immersed himself in what he called "real architecture" — voluntary work that resulted in the famous "redondinhos": 19 cylindrical residential buildings with colorful facades that transformed the community's landscape. The project went beyond housing and included the Heliópolis Educational and Social Hub, with a public library, cinema, space for a craft fair, and a unit of the Centro Paula Souza.

Legacy

Ruy Ohtake passed away on November 27, 2021, at the age of 83. However, his influence among the generations of architects who came after him is undeniable. He showed that it is possible to be rigorous and bold, technical and sensitive, modern and deeply Brazilian.

More than a set of buildings, Ruy Ohtake's legacy is a worldview: that architecture must surprise, move and transform — not only those who commission a project, but everyone who lives with it.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER