For decades, the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo has seen investments in architectural infrastructures that help alleviate its lack of public space and fulfill a growing need for public spaces with cultural, recreational, and athletic functions. Access for All provides an in-depth look at these various buildings, public spaces, and infrastructures at different scales and how they create inclusive places for São Paulo’s urban society. The projects are presented with a focus on their program and day-to-day use, rather than their formal qualities, through newly commissioned photographs, films, plans, illustrations, models, and interviews, as well as archival documents. The emphasis is on how architecture weaves in and out of the city, as sidewalks merge into ramps and stairs, and at times reappear in the cityscape as elevated plazas or rooftop terraces.

The exhibition presents a fresh perspective on modern architecture in Brazil and sheds light on an urban building culture in which architecture not just dialogues with, but also actively shapes the city around it.