OBSERVATORY
Machado Costa
ARCHITECTS
Machado Costa
LOCATION
Aveiro, Portugal
CATEGORY
Planetarium
MANUFACTURERS
Hidraulics, Landscape Design, Mechanicals, Structures
PHOTOGRAPHS
Vasco Neves Architectural Photography
YEAR
2016
ARCHITECTS IN CHARGE
Pedro Machado Costa
AREA
400 m²
AUTHORS
Pedro Machado Costa, Célia Gome
DESIGN TEAM
Pedro Machado Costa, Célia Gomes, João Simões, Ricardo Balhana
Text description provided by architect.
The Observatory rises above a labyrinth of canals, salt marshes and small islands that punctuate the landscape of the lagoon. The building serves as a welcome centre for the Natural Park’s visitors, who search for the biodiversity of the Vouga River’s estuary.
The building is positioned near the cost line. The up and down of the tides submerges part of the building’s base, allowing direct access from its interior to small boats that take the visitors off to the lagoon.
Inside, one can find an exhibition area and an auditorium, offering a panorama of the surrounding landscape.
Through four huge and deep windows, visitors will experience four glimpses over the territory: the serenity of the lagoon's water plan, the rippling vegetation growing at the dikes, the slow movement of the sky and the profile of the city.
Former craftsmen of an old deactivated shipyard in Aveiro built the Observatory.
Two carpenters shaped the wooden parts of the formworks, and naval locksmiths manufactured the metal elements. The construction of the building lasted for more than a decade.
