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Architects: Carolina Penna Arquitetura e Urbanismo
- Area: 5000 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs:Nelson Kon
Text description provided by the architects. The Center for Professional Development was conceived as a public institution to serve the community. More than simply a school, its aim is to develop educators and encourage discussions about Education.
It is a place for collective use.
A space for studies, dialogue, meetings and debates among teachers, students, parents, citizens.
Open spaces, full of light, transparent.
A place for people to get acquainted, share and exchange.
THE COMPLEX
Two buildings host the didactic activities and the events center separately. They were built around a central patio where the original vegetation was kept.
Part of the lot was given away for wide sidewalks and an external square, emphasizing the public aspect the complex has.
Internally, the closed volumes houses activities that require concentration, such as studying, classes and presentations. They are distributed within a large internal space that, as well as an urban square, organizes the flux of people and allows meetings.
The division between internal and external environment dissolves itself through the great glass openings, which connect the internal activities and the garden. As well as in the city, the buildings and the central patio work independently but are intrinsically connected. An external ramp allows a walk through the buildings, deck and garden.
The constructive solutions proposed are widely known and economical. The selection of materials follows the same guideline: resistant, durable, economical and simple. Brickwork painted white, whitefloor, ecological wood panel, aluminum frame andexposed concrete structure.
The white color is used to oppose to the green color from the garden.
THE GREEN AREA
Luckily, the original lot had beautiful trees and this original vegetation was kept and transformed into two gardens: one public and one internal.
Both green masses, beyond aesthetical purposes, also provide a very pleasant living area to the users. It also contributes to a better thermal and acoustical performance of the buildings.
Preserving the existing vegetation was the starting point of the project.
THE LIGHT
Openings, canopies and vegetation filter the light that shines onto the inside. It is reflected many times on the white surfaces and spreads itself in the interior of the building.
In the west façade, due to insolation, small openings were designed, composing a mosaic of light and shadow that lightly indicates the activities on the inside. On the south, a large glass wall facing the garden overspread the internal areas with light. On the north, the classrooms contemplate the public square and the vegetation acts as a sun shade.
