Portuguese 
The old Brahma factory in Curitiba has begun its transformation into an innovation complex costing R$ 296.5 million, featuring startups, laboratories, and museums.
A protected industrial property in the Rebouças neighborhood of Curitiba has entered the physical phase of a use change this week, aiming to replace the former beer production routine with activities centered on technology and creative economy. Parts of the complex that housed Brahma have started to be demolished to make way for the Fábrica de Ideias, a project from the Paraná government budgeted at R$ 296.5 million.
The intervention does not involve erasing the historical identity of the site. The plan incorporates new facilities along with the repurposing of existing structures, allowing the former factory to be adapted for functions ranging from research to business development.
Property Gained Heritage Protection in the Same Year It Ceased Production
The property ceased its industrial function in 2016, when Ambev’s operations were relocated to Ponta Grossa. That same year, the brewery complex was added to the municipal registry of Units of Preservation Interest associated with Curitiba’s industrial landscape.
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This status directly impacts the current construction work. Facades and other architectural elements are expected to remain during the renovation, while the interior will be adjusted to meet accessibility requirements and include energy-efficient solutions.
The total area allocated for the new project reaches 50,000 square meters. The built portion planned in the project corresponds to 34,000 square meters, but these figures are part of an intervention that also considers open spaces and circulation between different activities.
Artificial Intelligence Will Have Space Where Beer Production Once Took Place
One of the new functions designated for the complex will be technological research. There are plans for spaces dedicated to artificial intelligence, while other structures will be used for project development and the maturation of new businesses.
Startups will be able to occupy parts of the factory, but they will not be the only users. Government sectors will also have a presence at the site, and research institutions may develop projects within the same complex.
The location helps connect the project to the Vale do Pinhão, an existing initiative in Curitiba. The idea is to bring the new site closer to agents working in innovation within the capital, avoiding the creation of a structure that is isolated from the local ecosystem.
Project Also Reserves Space for Art and Urban Life
The transformation will include cultural activities that did not exist in the former industrial occupation. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Paraná is expected to have an extension within the project, creating a new use for part of the heritage.
Another planned environment is a boulevard named after Alfred Agache. This area will focus on social interactions, including leisure and dining activities, while larger events may utilize an auditorium designed to accommodate 250 people.
Tributes to notable figures from Paraná will also be featured on the walls. The scientist César Lattes is among the names chosen for the graffiti panels, while references to the Rebouças brothers will be incorporated into other artistic works.
Before Brahma, the property had been producing beer for nearly three decades
Although strongly associated with Brahma, the complex originated under a different company. It dates back to 1912 when it began operating as Cervejaria Atlântica, founded by entrepreneurs linked to Henn & Jens.
Brahma Brewery only entered the picture at the end of 1941, taking over the Atlântica brewery and acquiring its facilities in the capital of Paraná. The address then became part of the company’s industrial presence in the state.
Decades later, the unit was linked to Ambev until production ceased at Rebouças. This history explains why the current renovation needs to reconcile an entirely new function with elements of a century-old industrial heritage.
Audi participated in the project before the start of construction
The architectural design involved private participation prior to execution. Audi do Brasil invested approximately R$ 4.1 million in developing the executive project as part of a countermeasure linked to the Paraná Competitivo program.
The design was the responsibility of the firm Ricardo Amaral Arquitetos Associados. Implementation, coordinated by the State Department of Cities, is in the hands of the Inova Paraná Consortium following the integrated bidding process.
Commenting on the choice of the property, Governor Ratinho Junior connected the project to the revitalization of Rebouças and the creation of job opportunities. The intention is to attract economic activities from different sectors, rather than returning the area to a single industrial function.
Factory begins a new phase more than a century after its inauguration
The factory that has experienced various stages of the beer industry in Curitiba is now undergoing a change that preserves part of its past while completely altering its purpose. The location is set to host research, culture, business, and public activities instead of the production lines that marked its history.
The beginning of the demolitions marks the first visible change in this redevelopment. More than a hundred years after the complex opened and a decade after production was transferred, the former site of Brahma is being prepared for a function related to the creative economy and technology.
