University of São Paulo’s Faculty of Law Acquires Fecap Building to Expand Course Offerings and Extension Projects
The governor of the State of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, formalized the transfer of the building from the Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado (Fecap), located in Largo de São Francisco, to the Faculty of Law (FD) of the University of São Paulo. The donation is part of the process of revitalizing the center of São Paulo and the building will be used for extension courses, postgraduate courses and a legal studies center.
Celso Fernandes Campilongo, director of FDUSP, says that the historic building dates back to 1908, being older than the FD building, which dates back to 1934, despite the fact that the college dates back to 1827 and has occupied the same region since its foundation. Therefore, since 1908, the Fecap building has been a desire of the USP institution. Despite this, Guilherme Afif Domingos, state secretary for Strategic Projects, explains that, even with the availability of the building’s transfer by Fecap, a clause prohibited its sale and, therefore, State interference was necessary in its expropriation and transfer to USP.
Need for FD
Campilongo states that the incorporation of this building solves several problems at FD, which faces a lack of space, especially for postgraduate courses and the permanence of undergraduate students. “Today, 50% of students at USP, consequently also at the Faculty of Law, are quota students and many spend the entire day at college and having this space will provide much more comfort.”
With approximately 4,000 square meters and more than 20 classrooms, the location will enable the creation of spaces that help students stay at college for longer periods, including nightlife, through evening courses and greater circulation of people. Experts comment that these expansions could also be important for the creation of residence hotels, which would be used to house students on campus.
Revitalization process
Furthermore, Campilongo informs that the project is also important in the revitalization of the center of São Paulo, enhancing Largo de São Francisco and reinforcing its history. He explains that the FD location is already a tourist attraction and could be much better explored in the future than it has been until now, with several buildings, expansion of the campus and creation or reopening of symbols of the center, such as the Itamarati restaurant.
Regarding the revitalization of the center of São Paulo, Afif comments: “More than R$7 billion will be invested in revitalizing the center, in order to attract people again, and the fundamental thing is to have housing in the center. Safety is essential, sometimes students themselves are afraid of movement at night. So, this work is an urban and human intervention, we need to have life 24 hours a day in the center”.