Thisispaper Community
Join today.
Enter your email address to receive the latest news on emerging art, design, lifestyle and tech from Thisispaper, delivered straight to your inbox.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Instant access to new channels
The top stories curated daily
Weekly roundups of what's important
Weekly roundups of what's important
Original features and deep dives
Exclusive community features
@zaxarovcom
May 21, 2021

The design of Grândola Meeting Center in Portugal by Aires Mateus is based on a simple white volume of concrete in which certain incisions have been sculpted and compose the doors and windows of the building.

Smooth, white rendered facades are commonplace throughout the southern Portuguese region of Alentejo. In terms of colour and structure the new meeting centre that the architects Aires Mateus designed for an old person’s home in the small town of Grândola adheres closely to this established tradition. However, the form of the new building – abstract, cubist, without projecting eaves and with a minimum of visible details – represents a radical break with the neighbourhood.

The context in its distances, alignments, proportions, define the mass. The program determines the project. A meeting centre for large gatherings or small groups. The ceiling, in its variations and geometry answers the program. A complete horizontal clearness outlines the space as a whole, which as atmosphere opposes to the weight of the vertical voids. The support functions deepen the external and peripheral wall. The final image is determined by the interaction of internal space and occupied façade.

No items found.
Join +
We love less
but there is more.
Become a Thisispaper+ member today to unlock full access to our magazine, advanced tools, and support our work.
Travel Guides
Submission Module
Print Archive
Curated Editions
+ more
Buy now
No items found.
@zaxarovcom
May 21, 2021

The design of Grândola Meeting Center in Portugal by Aires Mateus is based on a simple white volume of concrete in which certain incisions have been sculpted and compose the doors and windows of the building.

Smooth, white rendered facades are commonplace throughout the southern Portuguese region of Alentejo. In terms of colour and structure the new meeting centre that the architects Aires Mateus designed for an old person’s home in the small town of Grândola adheres closely to this established tradition. However, the form of the new building – abstract, cubist, without projecting eaves and with a minimum of visible details – represents a radical break with the neighbourhood.

The context in its distances, alignments, proportions, define the mass. The program determines the project. A meeting centre for large gatherings or small groups. The ceiling, in its variations and geometry answers the program. A complete horizontal clearness outlines the space as a whole, which as atmosphere opposes to the weight of the vertical voids. The support functions deepen the external and peripheral wall. The final image is determined by the interaction of internal space and occupied façade.

Architecture
section is proudly under the patronage of:
John Pawson

Independent publications like Thisispaper rely on support by readers and companies to be sustainable.

Current patron of Architecture Section:

If you are ready to book a slot, please use the following link:
Become a Patron

Introducing OS
An intimate space which helps creative minds thrive.
Discover. Share. Embrace.
Thisispaper Shop
Shop Now
Thisispaper+Guides
Discover the most inspiring places and stories through carefully-curated travel guides.
Explore all GuidesExplore channels