Designs for the new $180 million Curitiba International Trade Center, in Curitiba, Brazil, are now finalized. Curitiba is located southwest of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Orlando, Fla.-based VOA Associates is the architect-of-record for the mixed-use project, which includes a 714,500 sq. ft. exhibition center, as well as hotel, office, retail and entertainment components.
A timetable calls for site improvements to begin in October 1999, with completion by January 2002. The site is located along the airport-to-downtown corridor inside the largest urban park in Brazil.
A 120,000 sq. ft. waterfront office building is featured, as well as a retail/ entertainment center which will include an IMAX theater and a Discovery Center, along with restaurants and nightclubs, located on a landscaped boardwalk along the lakefront. The 350-room, five-star Curitiba Resort Hotel & Spa will offer two restaurants, health club and spa, and convention facilities.