The materials were kept simple, striping the building of visual noise, shifting the attention from the receptacle to the content and, at the same time, allowing a rational control of building costs. This way, the ground floor, in direct contact with the city and the public, is made of glass, promoting a welcoming embrace, engagement and permeability. The upper mass is structurally made of concrete. We wanted it raw, real, with nothing to hide, making it the statement of an assumed position that revels the honest truth of the building. Although it is striped of visual superficial artificialities, it does not go unnoticed. “It does not go gently into that good night”. The apparent floating mass of concrete is also a provocative gesture, one that creates tension and a dramatic setting, one that embodies the strong personality of the building and the context from were it has risen.

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See also the visual identity developed by AND-RÉ design here.

photos by: FG+SG / AND-RÉ / José Caldeira