Community Center and Involving Exterior Spaces

Detail of the waiting area.

Project details

• Project Name: Community Center and Involving Exterior Spaces
• Location of Site: Alto do Forte / Serra das Minas, Rio de Mouro, Portugal
• Design Team: Pedro Mendes, Silvia Namorado (competition phase)
• Project Type: Public Building
• Client: Sintra Town Hall
• Contractor/s: Construtora San Jose, S.A.
• Site Area: 10.905 sq m
• Built-up Area: 2.520 sq m
• Cost of Construction: 1.379.000 €
• Date of completion: August 2007

Activities Room.

Words from the architect

The client wanted a reorganization of the urban area between the existing buildings, and at the same time provide this population with a useful public equipment: a community center.

The project Community Center and Exterior Spaces brings in a set of 'equipments' that intend to reuse this urban area and to endow it with the necessary public amenities.

Activities Room.

The proposal aims to:

• recycle the existing urban structure through the creation of a 'natural platform';
• to provide plantations on the northern side of the building, defining an urban front for the square allowing an exterior space of leisure in the interior of the block;
• and to redesign the passages between different squares.

The materials used in this project are concrete, glass and a concrete block "murson" in the main elevation.

Kindergarten corridor.

The community center program includes kindergarten, pre-school, day center for old people, medical support, kitchen, education activities, etc.

These different activities are organized as a separate nucleus that correspond to different spaces.

Entrance hall - kindergarten.

Photograph by Rita Burmester, courtesy Pedro Mendes Arquitectos, Lda.

Children's bathroom.

Concrete bench in the corridor.

Photograph by Rita Burmester, courtesy Pedro Mendes Arquitectos, Lda.

South Elevation.

West Elevation.

South Elevation, where the activities rooms have view of the garden.

Corridor and “box” in wood at the left side – telephone area.

South Elevation, the activities rooms with possibility of extension to the outside.

The main corridor.

Kindergarten - East Elevation, an exterior bench.

Waiting area.

Credits

• Text: Pedro Mendes Arquitectos, Lda.
• Photographs: Rita Burmester