Álvaro Siza Vieira

Nadir Afonso Foundation

Álvaro Siza Vieira
10. October 2016

PROJECT DETAILS

Architecture

Álvaro Siza Vieira


Location

Chaves, Portugal


Area
2,768 sqm

Photography
Joao Morgado - Fotografia de Arquitectura

Coordinator Architect (Construction)
Álvaro Fonseca


Coordinating Architect (Executive Project)
Paulo Teodósio


Collaborator (Executive Project)
Lola Bataller Alberola


Licensing Project
José Carlos Oliveira


Coordinating Architects (Preliminary Study)
Avelino Silva, Tatiana Berger


Collaborators (Preliminary Study)
Álvaro Fonseca, Marco Rampulla, Kenji Araya, Rita Amaral


Structures

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Jorge Nunes da Silva, Eng. Filipa Abreu


Electricity and Safety

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Alexandre Martins (GPIC, Lda)


HVAC

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Raul Bessa (GET, Lda)


Water and Sanitation

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Raquel Fernandes


Acoustical Design

GOP, Lda - Eng. Octávio Inácio (InAcoustics, Lda)


Landscape

Atelier do Beco da Bela Vista, Lda - Arq. Paisagista Luis Guedes de Carvalho


Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

The area destined for the building is located at the place of Longras, in the civil parish of Santa Maria Maior, and was established in the plan as a rectangle parallel to the riverbed, inside the future marginal park, between the new footpath/bike lane parallel to the 5 de Outubro avenue (northwest), the Dr. Mário Soares avenue (northeast), the new street layout parallel to the Longras street (southwest) and the river (southeast).
The main floor of the foundation building is placed over a concrete platform, 351.5 height, supported by walls perpendicular to the river, in order to prevent an eventual flood. The risk of an eventual flood should not be excluded. The height difference between the northwest street layout and the natural terrain is balanced by means of a ramp with a slight slope.

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

The main access to the foundation platform is made by means of a slight ramp with a slope of 6%, from the sidewalk, at height 349.13 (non-floodable height). Furthermore, two elevators and two staircases have been projected, from the ground, southwest (public access) and northeast (service access, loading and unloading). In a more central positioning, by the access to the exhibition spaces, there is a third staircase designed as an emergency exit.

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

The internal programmed spaces are conceived longitudinally in three sectors: 
a) Atrium, reception, public elevator (13p.), library, auditorium with a seating capacity for 100 people, cloakroom, restrooms, bookstore and cafeteria, at the southwest top of the building.

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

b) Exhibition spaces, in the central zone, subdivided into 3 longitudinal wings and including both a permanent exhibition room and an archive (northwest wing), temporary exhibition rooms (central and southeast wings).
The exhibition room in the central wing (8,70x36,5m), which can be asymmetrically subdivided into two(8,70x12,50+8,70x23,85m), has a continuous clerestory allowing both natural and electrical light; the exhibition room in the southeast wing will be illuminated by means of a continuous horizontal opening over the river or by coving. The temporary exhibition room will not have general natural light but only an opening over the yard that limits it.

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

c) The northeast top of the building includes a control and security center, a hoist (3,45x2,5m), a service staircase, a reception and access to the archives (northwest); restrooms, a staff room and administration areas (southeast); a plastic arts room and Nadir Afonso studio (with zenithal light and river view).
 
In the upper floor, which can be accessed through the control and security center, there is a set of technical spaces (interior and exterior balcony), from which is made easier the access to the skylights and to a second technical space located over the auditorium.

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography

The exterior floors are composed of granite on the stairs and the access floor; and white marble on the balconies. Concerning the landscape project, the proposal includes the cleaning and consolidation of the ruins of the Longras alley, similarly to what was recently done on the banks of the Tâmega river, and the preservation of some existing fruit trees. As a means of helping the outdoor activities promoted by the foundation, there is a plan to cover almost completely the ground with a meadow, except with regard to the natural soil that corresponds to the projection of the building, in which an  carpet of ivy should be installed. The arboreal and shrubby vegetation which was proposed will be mostly composed of autochthonous species, preferably from propagules collected locally or regionally. Its use is intended to create massive aggregates of vegetation capable of generating non-pruned hedges for protection, necessary to the organization and reading of the space. 

Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Photo: Joao Morgado - Architectural Photography
Location Plan
Plan Level 0
Plan Level 1
Sketches by Siza

PROJECT DETAILS

Architecture

Álvaro Siza Vieira


Location

Chaves, Portugal


Area
2,768 sqm

Photography
Joao Morgado - Fotografia de Arquitectura

Coordinator Architect (Construction)
Álvaro Fonseca


Coordinating Architect (Executive Project)
Paulo Teodósio


Collaborator (Executive Project)
Lola Bataller Alberola


Licensing Project
José Carlos Oliveira


Coordinating Architects (Preliminary Study)
Avelino Silva, Tatiana Berger


Collaborators (Preliminary Study)
Álvaro Fonseca, Marco Rampulla, Kenji Araya, Rita Amaral


Structures

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Jorge Nunes da Silva, Eng. Filipa Abreu


Electricity and Safety

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Alexandre Martins (GPIC, Lda)


HVAC

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Raul Bessa (GET, Lda)


Water and Sanitation

GOP, Lda - Eng.º Raquel Fernandes


Acoustical Design

GOP, Lda - Eng. Octávio Inácio (InAcoustics, Lda)


Landscape

Atelier do Beco da Bela Vista, Lda - Arq. Paisagista Luis Guedes de Carvalho


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