One dead as fire destroys São Paulo museum
A fire has destroyed most of one of South America’s most popular museums, resulting in the death of one man tackling the blaze.
São Paulo’s governor, Geraldo Alckmin, said that firefighter Ronaldo Pereira da Cruz died in hospital. The governor added that because the Museum of the Portuguese Language (Museu da Língua Portuguesa) is closed on Mondays, more casualties were likely averted.
The blaze took place on 21 December gutting the 100-year-old Brazilian cultural landmark. The museum in São Paulo is seen as the top educational resource for the history and evolution of the Portuguese language.
The governor pledged state support to the museum saying, “It will be rebuilt,” and adding that the museum “reflects the soul of the Brazilian people”.
The museum was officially opened in March 2006, welcoming more than 1.6 million visitors in its first three years of operation.
Thanks to archiving and digital preservation, cultural loss is believed to be minimal, with museum curator Isa Ferraz stating that many of the pieces have been “backed up”.
Firefighters and civil engineers are currently examining the stability of the building before proceeding to determine the cause of the blaze.
Organiser charged over waterpark firestorm that killed 12
Danish science centre gutted by fire while on-site with CEBRA, Rambøll A/S and Elgaard redevelopment will still open on time


James Corner Field Operations creates Highline for London

Esbjerg’s landmark maritime center, designed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, opens to the public

SEVEN to open world’s first indoor Discovery Adventures centres in Saudi Arabia

Fun and fear drive new Universal attraction concepts for Texas and Las Vegas

Voelker Gray Design creates 10-acre hot springs wellness haven for Atlanta

AIDarchitecten create healing spa for Antwerp's Botanic Sanctuary

Hollaway Studio's Seahive would bring blue health to South-East England

SEVEN to invest US$13bn in developing entertainment destinations across Saudi Arabia

World Spa’s expansive 50,000sq ft urban bathhouse and wellness club opens in Brooklyn

Floating Salmon Eye visitor attraction by Kvorning Design highlights sustainable aquaculture

White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber

Nohlab's 'Everything' installation among Noor Riyadh festival highlights

Bob Iger's return to Disney sparks major restructuring focused on creativity and storytelling

Therme Group plans US$200m urban wellbeing resort in South Korea

Digital art installation in Nanjing helps the public keep an eye on exoplanets

First glimpses revealed of flagship Blue Zones Centre in Miami

Warner Bros. and Infinite Reality launch metaverse experiences for live sports fans

Storyland Studios' Nigeria's film city project will break ground in Q1 2023

Canyon Ranch preps for major expansion with new destinations in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston

WilkinsonEyre-designed Battersea Power Station development opens as leisure district following £9bn redevelopment

Healthy cities conference to discuss diversity and inclusivity in urban planning and design

Foster and Partners reveal design for sustainable marine life centre on the Red Sea

Anaheim's US$4bn ocV!BE project approved by planners

Construction marches ahead for Saudi giga-projects Amaala and The Red Sea

HBG Design behind Michigan’s six-storey Aquadome inspired by the sun’s path across the sky

Seventh International Museum Construction Congress to be held in Norway this year

The 'world's most anticipated museum' to finally open this year

Nike's Serena Williams Building, designed by Skylab, follows the concept of flow

Saudi Arabia's Neom mega-development to include 100-mile long 'horizontal skyscraper city'

David Adjaye and Ralph Appelbaum selected for £57m International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum project
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates