Mirante do Vale

Mirante do Vale Building (Portuguese: Condomínio Mirante do Vale, loosely translated as Overlook of the Valley Condominium), commonly called Mirante do Vale, is a 138-metre to 140 m (452,756 ft) mix use with office, residential, parking garage and retail skyscraper located in São Paulo, Brazil, in the area of Downtown São Paulo and Vale do Anhangabaú. Constructed from 1959 to 1966, it was the tallest building in São Paulo for 54 years until 2022 when it was surpassed by Platina 220. Mirante do Vale was also the tallest in Brazil until 2014 when it was surpassed by Millennium Palace in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina.

The building entrepreneurs and developers were structural engineers Waldomiro Zarzur and Aron Kogan, who designed it.

Designed by engineer Waldomiro Zarzur with Aron Kogan, the Mirante do Vale is located in the region of Vale do Anhangabaú, having access via three entrances, one on Prestes Maia Avenue, another on Pedro Lessa Square, and another on Brigadeiro Tobias Street. The construction of the skyscraper took six years. Waldomiro was an engineer with considerable experience. His first work, a house at Afonso Brás Street, Vila Nova Conceição, was performed when he was just 21 and still studying engineering at Mackenzie. At that time, the friendship with fellow student Aron Kogan became a society, which lasted until 1960, when Kogan was murdered during the robbery his car. Waldomiro took over the enterprise.

It's possible to have an aerial view of Vale do Anhangabaú by visiting the observatory of the Altino Arantes Building or of the Edifício Itália, places that seemed to be higher. It can also be seen from Viaduto do Chá and Viaduto Santa Efigênia, the latter well in front of the building. During certain periods, the concrete and steel lattice structure at top of the building supported large neon signs advertising various brands, such as Fanta and Sharp, among others. Those signs were since long removed, due recent laws of "Cidade Limpa".

The building was known as the Palácio Zarzur Kogan (Zarzur Kogan Palace) until 1988. Being located in a valley, Mirante do Vale sits on a lower part of the city compared to the other two and is, therefore, perceived as being lower than other buildings in the city, such as the Edifício Itália or the Altino Arantes Building. Another factor that contributes to the relative lack of knowledge of people towards the building is that it was closed for public visitation, although access to the top can be granted by permission.^[2]

On top of Mirante do Vale, it is possible to observe the entire region of Downtown São Paulo and part of the Paulista Avenue, including buildings Itália and Altino Arantes.

A bird's eye view of Mirante do Vale is possible from the observation decks of either the Altino Arantes Building or the Edifício Itália.

The main problem of not knowing exact which value is, there is no registers and blueprints of construction of that time until now and maybe advertisement of engineers to sell the building, considering it higher as the highest of city at that time, the "correct" and official height of the building was said 170 meters. However, in reality this was exaggerated, because modern alternative measurements by flying level drone and digital tools such as Google Earth often presented different values ​​due to variations in reference frame and technical precision.

• 1. Drone Measurement

Videos from enthusiasts who used drones to measure the building report heights lower than the official figures with results indicating values ​​close to 136 meters or 140 meters at the summit, if not consider antennas and communication devices higher, 3 m in average. Commercial drones measures altitude relative to the takeoff point via barometer or GPS in a vertical fly line, in which can be affected by atmospheric interference or calibration errors. Furthermore, if the drone takes off from an area higher than the actual base of the building, which is located at the bottom of the Anhangabaú Valley, the reading could be lower.

• 2. Measurement in Google Earth

Google Earth Pro allows a person to measure 3D buildings using the "Ruler" tool, but this is more unprecise, because the measured height usually varies between 138 and 140 meters for the main body of the building, attached images of satellite, not considering accurate details. The Limitations of Accuracy depends on the quality of the 3D model and where the user marks the starting and ending points. Google Earth often uses satellite data that may disregard overhead structures such as antennas or helipads, focusing only on habitable structures.

• 3. Calculations floor-to-floor

Considering the podium has 6 floors, above, until the bottom of helipad has 39 floors and 2 in helipad structure inside a grid or lattice of facade. The podium is approximately as high as the ´´´Viaduct Santa Ifigênia´´´ pedestrian level, which means approximately 22 m high, with trees around of 20 m high, however calculating 138 m, the average between 136 to 140 / 47 floors comes 2,93 m each storey. So the podium inclusive the rear parking garage could be 14,65 m high at terrace or 17,6 m at top of 6th floor.

The common confusion about its height stems from the Sampa Sky tourist attraction , which is located on the said 42nd floor of the building, if considering it of having 51 floors, at a height of 150 meters, 20 m less then the top.

• 4. Summary of Measures
• Reference Reported Height Observation
  • Official (Architect) : 170 meters Historical and design data (Waldomiro Zarzur).
  • Google Earth : ~138 - 140 meters - Based on photogrammetry and 3D models.
  • Drone (YouTube) : ~136 - 140 meters - Approximate measurement based on level flight.
  • Sampa Sky : 150 meters - Height of the glass observation deck (42nd floor).

Conclusion : If you are looking for the official technical data accepted by engineering bodies, the value is 170 meters. If you are performing a practical measurement using a drone or software, expect to find values ​​closer to 140 meters due to differences in terrain and sensors.

• List of tallest buildings in South America
• List of tallest buildings in Brazil
• List of tallest buildings in São Paulo

• (in English) Mirante do Vale in Emporis
• (in English) Mirante do Vale in SkyscraperPage
• (in Portuguese) Interesting data of Skyscraper
• (in Portuguese) Waldomiro Zarzur, the owner of the building