architect: João Mendes Ribeiro

location: Ribeira de Eiras, Adémia, Coimbra

year: 2015

photo by André Cepeda

Located in Coimbra’s industrial area, the building consists of two volumes: a smaller two-storey volume overlooking the main road, presenting a commercial area on the ground floor and offices on the first floor, and a larger and longer one storey building (the warehouse), located at the centre of the site and it is formed by a combination of five equally sized units with pitched roofs. The two buildings occupy the entire length of the lot and are connected by a flat-roofed passage creating a view over the courtyard at street level which is used as meeting space and a parking area. The selected materials play a major role in the characterization of the two volumes. Constructive solution and detailing become the formal identity of these buildings. An horizontal line runs across the two buildings, creating a clear distinction between two key materials: concrete and grey coated corrugated steel panels. Above the horizontal line, the entire surface is clad with corrugated steel places, including the openings. In the office building, where windows must allow opening for ventilation, a similar system for cladding was used integrating micro-perforated corrugated steel screens. This solution was also applied for the passage between buildings, to give it more transparency. The warehouse interior space presents an industrial atmosphere through the use of polished concrete flooring and exposed mechanical infrastructures and constructive elements. A small mezzanine, made in metal structure and grey concrete panels, houses the staff facilities and links to the elevated passage through a staircase. Birch plywood doors, furniture and plasterboard walls divide up the space. Before both buildings were occupied by their permanent programs, a pop up art exhibition opened. As there are no structural interior walls, the exhibition focused on the concept of "box in the box”. The temporary plasterboard walls were disconnected from the concrete walls and displayed three exhibition rooms.

Client: António Albertino dos Santos
Co-authors: Catarina Fortuna, Joana Brandão
Colaboration during project phase: Ana Maria Feijão, Ana Margarida Tavares, Inês Lourenço, Joana Canas Marques
Colaboration during construction phase: Filipe Catarino
Coordination during construction phase: Catarina Fortuna, Joana Brandão
Structural Engineer: Paulo Maranha Tiago
Hidraulic Engineer: Vítor Ribeiro
Electrical Engineer: Luís Ribeiro
Mechanical Engineer: Pedro Dias
Photography: André Cepeda, Nelson Garrido / ngphoto.com.pt