Casa das Artes in Miranda do Corvo

The Casa das Artes (House of the Arts) in Miranda do Corvo expresses the meeting between two identities, rural and urban, in a landscape marked by the Lousã Mountains.Casa das Artes Miranda

The building features a contemporary and volumetrically expressive language. The sloping roofs establish a dialogue with the geometry of the mountain landscape, in an analogy to the village rooftops. The dynamism achieved through the continuity between façades and roof is accented by a strong red colour, emphasizing its design and highlighting the building through the surrounding landscaped area vegetation.Casa das Artes Miranda

More than a building, the Casa das Artes pretends to be an iconic landmark, celebrating the place where people meet, where culture and art happens, a space capable of promoting and stimulating creative activity, increasing the population quality of life.

The project was conceived by creating versatile spaces, technically suitable for different kinds of events, in order to serve all segments of the population.

The deployment area was optimized to favour landscaped spaces, allowing the creation of an amphitheatre for outdoor events, integrated in a garden which is a public space for the village, with several spaces and inviting pathways for leisure.

The building consists of three volumes reflecting different sorts of use: the first one containing the stage areas, the second comprising the audience and foyer, and the third with a cafeteria and a future museum area, which constitute a visually independent volume.

The proposed diversity of accesses for the building attempts to emphasize the characterization of this site as a public space, while allowing the public direct access of specific places, such as the museum area and cafeteria, independently, without passing through the auditorium.

The main entrance is through the foyer. This space may function as exhibition area which can be divided into two by a short flight of stairs. From here depart two paths to an auditorium for nearly 300 people, with a motorized orchestra pit and six technical levels, properly equipped for holding theatre performances, opera, concerts, conferences or lectures.

The cafeteria can operate independently from the rest of the building, or even serve as an entrance point providing access to the auditorium. This space has a covered terrace with a skylight oriented west, channelling sunset light into its interior. The terrace area gives access to a multimedia room.

The facade of the museum area is facing the northern part of the garden where one of the main entries is located and the outdoor amphitheatre.

Construction Design and Materials Casa das Artes Miranda

Structural Elements:

The structure is performed in reinforced concrete beams and pillar system, with accessible roof slabs performed on reinforced concrete and non-accessible alveolar roof slabs.

Walls:

Exterior walls consist in double brick masonry, 20cm and 15cm width, a 5cm cavity and 6cm of isolation. Basement walls in solid concrete 25cm width, with single or double brick masonry with 4cm cavity and internal insulation. Interior walls in brick masonry 7, 9, 11 and 15 cm width. The walls surrounding the stage are made in grooved concrete blocks.

Roof:

Sloped non accessible roof consisting of several planes, with waterproofing finish and colour sealing. Flat accessible roof paved with thermal slabs over sealing system.

Coatings and Finishes:

Exterior walls are plastered and painted red on the outside and finished with white or black paint on the inside. Interior walls are finished in plaster and painted white or black. Public toilets are covered with black terrazzo floor and damp technical areas – pantry, bathrooms and dressing rooms – are coated in black ceramic tiles. Ceilings are plastered or plaster boarded and painted white or black.
Inside the auditorium, walls and ceiling are coated with grooved acoustic panels, sound reflectors and absorbers, in anthracite wood agglomerate.

Floors:

Public areas (foyer, cafeteria, multimedia room and bathrooms) are paved in white continuous terrazzo floor. The auditorium has black carpet flooring and the stage has pine wooden floor. Technical areas (sub-stage, dressing rooms and passageways) have black vinyl or ceramic tiles floor (bathrooms, dressing rooms and showers).

Client: Municipality of Miranda do Corvo

Location: Miranda do Corvo, Portugal

Area: 2.360 sqm

Architect: FAT – Future Architecture Thinking

Project Team: Architect Miguel Correia, Architect Cláudia Campos, Architect Sérgio Catita, Architect Patrícia de Carvalho, Architect Miguel Cabral, Architect Margarida Magro, Architect Sara Gonçalves, Architect Telmo Maia, Architect Gabriel Santos, Architect Hilário Abril, Engineer José Pico, Landscape Architect Sara Távora

Builder: TECNORÉM – Engenharia e Construções, S.A.

Year: 2010 / 2013

Photograph: João Morgado

About FAT – Future Architecture Thinking

Led by Architect Miguel Correia, FAT – Future Thinking Architecture is an internationalized company developing projects from Lisbon to the entire world, with a developed portfolio for over 25 countries.
Architecture and Urban Planning are the main activities of FAT that also develops Landscape Architecture and Design projects, combining the expertise of the work developed by this architect over 27 years with the support a solid and specialized team.

www.fat.pt