We see the problem of constructing a building for the vocational training of mostly young adults as a challenge of how to offer them an environment that encourages interaction, conversation and the exchange of life experiences. Above all, we want to create a community and we know that gregarious spaces, which spontaneously invite collective experiences, are the starting point for these many important encounters to take place.
The site is challenging, both from the point of view of construction, with a steep slope taking up much of its area, and from the point of view of urban pedestrian connections, pressured by the busy Antônio Carlos Magalhães Avenue. Our design seeks to build the new SENAC school without interfering with the hillside, and imagines the whole building as a continuous vertical shared space. The cylindrical volumetry allows us to maximize the built area per floor with minimal visual impact on the view of the natural hillside, allowing the building not to reach unnecessary heights. We have tried to ensure that the built artifact does not excessively alter the landscape. This geometry also allows for a rich, complex collection of views from the interior towards the city, always changing, encouraging accompanied wandering and casual conversation.
The perimeter of the plan offers gentle sloping planes that connect the vertically organized slabs in an alternating sequence. The slabs facing the avenue and those facing the hillside have a level difference between them equivalent to half the height of the floors, so that the vertical stratification of activities is barely noticeable – there is always an open diagonal view and few steps to overcome. Everything is integrated.
The climate in Bahia allows for abundant ventilation and shading. Our project is based on these premises. In addition to having the circulations (which are more like small squares than corridors) permanently ventilated, the project provides for a central void that reinforces cross-ventilation and the upper outlet of the heated air. The window frames in the rooms are also designed to make the most of natural ventilation and lighting.
The roof of the main volume is designed as a public square integrated with the surrounding community via a small walkway. Residents can also use the vertical circulation for easy access to the avenue level. We see these qualities as important for architecture to make and be a city.
