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Architects: Bloco Arquitetos, Equipe Lamas
- Area: 250 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Haruo Mikami
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Manufacturers: Gallery tapetes, MAIS VIDROS
Text description provided by the architects. Originally thought to be a place of meeting and rest, the Tea House designed by Oscar Niemeyer at Praça dos tres poderes Square was one of the busiest points in Brasilia in the '70s and '80s. The semi-buried construction with 250 m2 near the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, was a scene of festivities in the capital. Political interference and lack of tenant were responsible for the end of the meetings and for the consequent abandonment. In 1994, the space became a Tourist Assistance Center (CAT), which was open for six years but closed because of the risk of the roof collapsing.
It was closed for 10 years and reopened in 2010 again as CAT after a structural reform. The house currently caters to visitors and tourists who circulate every day through the Three Powers Square. The Secretariat of Tourism and Unesco recently invited the BLOCO team of architects to do the curatorship of CAT who chose the architect Samuel Lamas to sign the furniture of the space. The goal was to restore Oscar Niemeyer's project, honoring the past, and furnishing space with contemporary pieces that connect with the capital's aesthetic and modernist spirit.
The white marble of the floor and walls was revitalized, the window frames cleaned, ceiling and pillars received a new layer of paint with the colors of the original design. The ambiance includes a central seating so that the visitor can enjoy the space and monuments with a set of sofas and armchair "Sonia", coffee table and bench "Ruy" and side table Caroline. The Reception received a Deia couch, a Sandra armchair, a Jamile coffee table, and a "Janice" side table. A space reserved to present the city to tourists with maps and books gained a Caroline table, "João" chairs and "Carlos shelf ".
With simplicity and architectural reasoning, the furniture that bears names typically Brazilian, have delicate metallic profiles that reach the maximum lightness without compromising the functionality. The use of geometry and pure forms are explored in the products: iron bars appear as if they were loose columns in space and tied together by other profiles. The surfaces are of wood and the tapestry in natural leather in earthy tones.
