Viriato I Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

The Viriato I building is an administrative and furniture show-room designed by Nuno Brandao in 2005 and located in Paredes. This appealing building is defined by a precise rectangular volume that is suspended at the edges. This spatial strategy is used to accommodate the required parking lots.

Viriato I Furniture Show-Room Building Technical Information

  • Architect: Nuno brandão Costa
  • Typology: Retail / Administrative building and showroom
  • Client : Móveis Viriato, s.a.
  • Location : Industrial zone Terronhas, Recarei, Rebordosa, Paredes, Portugal
  • Date of construction: 2007
  • Site Area : 775.00 m2
  • Collaborators: Marta Reis, Inês Pimentel / Structures: (Gesbau, engineering & management, inc) Marta Gameiro (gravity, ltd engineers) / Hydraulic: (Gesbau, engineering & management, inc) / Electricity and security: Maria da Luz Santiago (rs & Associates) / HVAC: Raul Bessa (get) / Lettering design: Miguel Palmeiro
  • Photography: Arménio Teixeira (photo source)
Viriato I Furniture Show-Room Arcticle
Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

© Arménio Teixeira

Viriato I description from Nuno Brandão Costa

The intention was to expand the fabric with a new volume, integrating the Management services of the company and a showroom of its production. The idea was also to give to the industrial environment of the area a “new look” and to announce the brand “VIRIATO.”

The land to deploy the new building was too small, and immediately raised two functional problems: The enormous loss of parking area and the difficulty of maneuvering multiple trucks that daily circulate access to the factory. These two issues have defined an idea for the new object: Lift it off the ground to avoid the loss of parking, and build a thin volume to occupy the minimum ground area. On the other hand, the idea of a  Show-Room building, lifted off the ground, always brought to mind the image, “SHAPE,” by Paulo Mendes Da Rocha. Thus, it builds an apparent concrete “table” with its “feet” to make entries. A first volume towed, based on this table, connects to the factory, finishing with a huge picture window hanging on the street, advertising the “VIRIATO.”

A second volume stands out near the factory with a lighter color and spans through the entire length of 25 meters, a continuous window for the cabinets. An iron profile Apparent holding the window frame and makes the cornice composition. The building is parallel to the factory on one side and inclined in the other to compete with the street that passes, to save indoor and outdoor areas, and to create amazing spaces that were not expected in the floor plan.

Viriato I Furniture Show-Room Model and Plans

Viriato I_Nuno BrandãoViriato I_Nuno BrandãoViriato I_Nuno Brandão

Viriato I_Nuno Brandão

About Nuno brandão Costa

Nuno Brandão Costa was born in Porto, Portugal, in 1970. He graduated from FAUP in 1994 where he is an assistant teacher for the subject Project 4 since 1999. He did his training with Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland, and with José Fernando Gonçalves & Paulo Providencia in Porto.

In 1998, after winning the 1st prize for the project of the Central Library of the Faculdade de Ciências Humanas da Universidade Nova in Lisbon and the 2nd prize for the Project of the Portuguese Embassy in Berlin, he opened his office in Porto. In November 2004, he won the “Jornal Expresso/ Sic. 12 anos” award. He also won the Secil 2008 Award for the Building’ Móveis Viriato’ and has been nominated to the “Mies Van der Rohe” 2008 award for the Farm in Bouçós. Since 2009, he is a visitor professor at “Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura – Universidad de Navarra.”

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