The State of São Paulo is advancing the modernization of its educational infrastructure with a project that combines construction innovation and environmental commitment. The Lote Leste Schools — a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the State Government and SP+Escolas — incorporate Urbem mass timber roofing structures across 16 new school buildings to be delivered by 2027.
Of the 16, eight are already under construction, including the units in Itapetininga and São José dos Campos, which have become benchmarks for execution within the program.
What Are the Lote Leste Schools?
The Lote Leste Schools are part of a Public-Private Partnership covering the construction and operation of non-pedagogical services across 16 new state schools in São Paulo. Maintenance, cleaning, security, food services and technology are managed by SP+Escolas, while all pedagogical management remains entirely under the responsibility of the São Paulo State Department of Education (Seduc-SP).
The architectural project, designed by Boldarini Arquitetos Associados and Biselli Katchborian, balances construction efficiency, student comfort and standardization at scale — principles that make the program both technically robust and replicable.
Mass Timber at the Lote Leste Schools: Why This Choice?
In partnership with Urbem, the Lote Leste Schools adopt a hybrid construction model: conventional structure combined with mass timber roofing. Already widely used in educational and institutional projects abroad, this solution now reaches São Paulo’s public school network with a focus on three key fronts:
- Speed of execution: average installation time of approximately three weeks per school, with prefabricated components ready for assembly on site.
- Waste reduction: less debris, fewer heavy machines and reduced disruption to the surrounding area during construction.
- Environmental performance: mass timber stores carbon throughout its entire service life and has significantly lower production emissions than concrete and steel.
In this first phase, the total volume applied reaches 272 m³ of mass timber across the eight units under construction — including Itapetininga, São José dos Campos, Aguaí, São João da Boa Vista, Limeira, Atibaia, Salto de Pirapora and Leme.
Scale and Expertise: Urbem's Differentiators in the Project
Delivering 16 schools with mass timber roofing by 2027 requires far more than technical mastery of the material. It demands industrial capacity, precise logistics and an experienced installation team — all of which Urbem brings to the project.
The units in Itapetininga and São José dos Campos are concrete examples of this delivery: schedules met, high execution standards and installation teams that operated with efficiency in the field. The visible result in the structures reflects the work of those on site every day.
For Ana Belizário, director of Urbem, the project reinforces the role of industrialized construction in modernizing Brazil’s public infrastructure: “When applied to educational projects, mass timber allows us to accelerate timelines, reduce waste and bring greater predictability to construction, without compromising structural performance or durability.”
A Replicable Model for Brazilian Educational Infrastructure
The Lote Leste Schools demonstrate that it is possible to build public facilities with greater efficiency, lower environmental impact and no technical compromises. With a standardized, scalable model — and 16 schools in the total scope — the program lays the groundwork for mass timber to expand into other educational infrastructure initiatives across Brazil.
For Urbem, participating in the Lote Leste Schools is another chapter in a well-established track record of applying mass timber to public educational projects. The Escola Municipal Prof.ª Nair Ribeiro de Almeida, in São Sebastião (SP), was the company’s first project in this segment — a school built entirely in mass timber, which demonstrated in practice the material’s benefits in learning environments: thermal and acoustic comfort, and architecture that is more welcoming for students and educators alike. The Lote Leste Schools take that experience to a new scale: 16 units, a standardized model and deliveries through 2027.
Want to learn how mass timber can contribute to your public infrastructure or collective-use project? Get in touch with Urbem.
