#CONNECTION #CONCRETE #STREET
ARX Portugal: http://www.arx.pt/
The project is located in the transition to the historical center, in an urban lot between two streets at different heights: Largo do Tribunal at the bottom; N. Sra da Concei A?o St. at the top. The extraordinarily narrow lot determined the design.
The program stated the importance of connecting these two streets, thus creating an upwards route to the Iberian Museum of Archeology and Art. Moreover, a closer analysis of the place revealed the need to consider the impact of this new building among the surrounding dwellings, diverse in architecture quality and construction dates, but also considerably smaller.
Typology-wise, a market is a building where the concept of public space is taken to the limit: it takes place on the streets, and sellers do their businesses in carts, makeshift stands and tents, making the market place and the city space merge or coincide.
The new market is at once building and street. One can cut across, going from one street to the other, either through the stairway opened at the northern edge, or wandering between the stands and the spiral staircase located at the southern edge. Deep down, it is basically a street, shaped with walls and covered by a white-washed shell of exposed concrete.
On the top of the building two volumes capture the sunlight that flows to the lower floors through openings in the slabs at each level, softly lighting all spaces, highlighting the concrete’s texture and exposing the passing of the hours.
CREDITS
architects: ARX Portugal
location: Esplanada 1A? de Maio, Abrantes, Portugal
surface: 1280 sqm
year/status: 2010-2015 (built)
structure: Structural concrete
materials: Painted concrete, stroked concrete, painted plasterboard, U glass, stainless steel stands
project team: Jos Mateus and Nuno Mateus with Ricardo Guerreiro, FA?bio CortA?s, Ana Fontes, Bruno Martins, Filipe Cardoso, JoA?o Dantas, Marc Anguill, Sofia Raposo, Miguel Torres
client/contractor: CA?mara Municipal de Abrantes
partner/consultants: Energia T cnica; SAFRE
photography: FG + SG fotografia de arquitectura
