The project for the intervention in the Casa da Feitoria area to provide the complex with a new building, which is essential for the museum’s operation and the preservation of its collection, starts from the interpretation of the landscape and takes as its central premise the preservation of the current visuals of the Casa and its garden in their complementary and inseparable relationship. The annex planned in the program is located on the south side of the site and has a geometry capable of minimizing the visual presence of the volume for those approaching the city center via Avenida Feitoria.
The consolidated grove in the intervention polygonal is fully maintained – the new architecture accommodates plant presences in its resolution and benefits from their presence in its search for discretion, minimizing their perception from the north view. Concerning the Casa da Feitoria, the guidelines of the competition’s bases are adopted – the building is recomposed following the most accurate historical documents and detailed studies. This effort, together with the guidelines for implementing the annexed building, should ensure that the listed building is re-established in its prominent position in its immediate surroundings and reaffirms itself as a landmark of living history and culture in the city of São Leopoldo.
The activities intended for the annexed building are organized based on a clear compositional and structural determination. Two lines of pillars organize three naves within the polygon determined by the constraints described above – a polygon that is the result of a particular encounter between the pragmatism of applying the obligatory setbacks and idiosyncratic gestures arising from negotiating with the trees and accommodating the program. The reception, bistro, and exhibition room occupy the sector that relates directly to the garden and the Casa da Feitoria and have rich visual relationships with each other and with this immediate context, with emphasis on the water as a focal point. The exhibition room has a ceiling height of 4 meters by including a slight downward ramp, thus preventing the volume of the annex from standing out too much in the landscape. Also a key element in this section, the walkway takes on subtle curves and seeks to touch the House with just a fraction of an edge.
Here it is necessary to treat the architecture with figurative words because what needs to be explained is subtle – the new slab tries to touch the historic architecture with its fingertips, like someone stroking a small animal, and not grab it with clenched fists like someone who wants to tie it up. Even though the access door is positioned near the corner of the House, care is taken not to disturb the edge of the volume, so that – with the corner freed up – the façade facing the back garden can be completed unscathed and the integrity of the perception of the volume as a single thing is guaranteed.
The central area of the annex building’s floor plan is occupied by support areas and is organized around an opportune central courtyard that guarantees the premise of not removing trees. The collection is simply connected to the exhibition but is also accessed via an internal administrative corridor. The third strip, with the façade opposite the courtyard available to provide light and ventilation, is occupied by long-term workspaces and also accommodates an uncovered staircase accessing a compact below-ground facilities area.
