João Mendes Ribeiro Arquitecto Lda

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

João Mendes Ribeiro Arquitecto, Lda,  Menos É Mais Arquitectos

AREA
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET
$10M - 50M

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Ribeira Grande, Portugal

TYPE
Cultural › Cultural Center Museum

ARQUIPÉLAGO

Contemporary Arts Centre Seeks To Unite The Different Scales And Times Of Its Parts.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

It Is A Transdisciplinary Project Whose Mission Is To Disseminate, Create And Produce Emerging Culture.

A Space Of Exchange And Interface For People, Knowledge And Events.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

THE DESIGN OF ARQUIPÉLAGO

Contemporary Arts Centre – maintains the industrial character of the whole
and highlights the dialogue between an existing building (former factory of alcohol / tobacco) and the new
construction (arts and culture center, storage facilities, multipurpose hall / performing arts, laboratories,
artist studios).

THE ARQUIPÉLAGO

Contemporary Arts Centre Acquires Its Identity By The Quiet Variation Between The Preexistence And The Two New Buildings.

The Containment Strategy Of Facilities Implementation Enhances The Spatial Efficiency And Hierarchical Functionality Of The Different Areas Of The Existing Factory Complex.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

The New Buildings Absorb The Required Functionalities, With Special Conditions, Not Compatible With The Spatiality Of Preexisting Buildings.

The Project Of The Arquipélago Does Not Exaggerate The Differences Between The Old And The New Buildings.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

On The Contrary, It Seeks To Unite The Different Scales And Times Of Its Parts Throughout A Pictorial Manipulation Of The Form And Materiality Of The Buildings - The Existing Constructions Are Marked By The Volcanic Stone Masonry And The New Buildings Are Characterized By An Abstract Form, Without Reference Or Allusion To Any Language, Built In Concrete With Local Basalt Inert Continuously Working With The Variation Of Surfaces’ Textures And Rugosity, Complementing The Mass Of The Buildings With The Emptiness Of The Patios.

The Design Is Committed To The Quality Of What Exists, Showing The Typological Variations - New Buildings Are Placed Next To The Existing Ones In A Serene Manner – Underlining The Architectonical Memory Of A Given Period And The New Addition, Without Damaging Or Subverting The Spatial And Constructive Structures Of The Whole.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

Context And Contiguity Contribute To The Autonomy Of The Object.

The New Program Reinvents The Existent Building, Making It A Meaningful Space In A Peripheral Region In The Middle Of The Atlantic Ocean.

THE ARQUIPÉLAGO

Contemporary Arts Centre Adds Meaning To The Social And Cultural Context Where It Is Built.

A New Public Space Is Materialized In A Central Square/pateo Where Art Feels Comfortable And Blurs The Frontiers Between Private And Public Spheres, Leisure And Work, Art And Life.

The Aspects Of The Sustainable Performance Of The Buildings Were Addressed Through Its Materiality (Structures, Infra-structures) And The Absorption Of The Existing Handcrafted Knowledge Enriched By Its Timeless Way Of Building.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

The Sustainable Measures Adopted Are Passive Systems That Seek To Provide Comfort For The Users: The Density Of The Concrete Walls Offer Inertia And Energy Efficiency; The Rain Water Is Reused.

Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre


Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre


Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre


Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre
Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre

João Mendes Ribeiro Arquitecto Lda
T +351 239 833763
João Mendes Ribeiro Arquitecto Lda
R. de Tomar 1, 3000-401 Coimbra, Portugal
Menos é Mais Arquitectos
T +351 222 010451
Menos é Mais Arquitectos
R. da Sra. da Luz 37, 4150-202 Porto, Portugal