This early experience with prefabrication allowed to Lele to teach at the University of Brasilia, where he built Colina Velha, a faculty apartment complex constructed with prestressed slabs, prefabricated columns, and light paneling for internal partitions.

The Colina Velha housing building at the University of Brasilia is designed by Joao de Gama Filgueiras Lima. A 6-storey massive-looking apartment building on a pilotis following a superquadra block organisation, located at the north wing (SQN) of Brasilia' s Plano Piloto. Lele' s work was characterised by the strong presence of structural concrete and the sophisticated use of prefabrication methods.