A gallery does not have to be a white box; and this São Paolo art space by Brazilian design and architecture firm Superlimão, created together with architect Gabriela Coelho, is as far removed from the typology of the minimalist exhibition space as possible. Commissioned by a Brazilian art and car collector in an empty parking lot, this private gallery is a constellation of raw industrial spaces, in a balanced composition that promotes functionality and a standout aesthetic.
The project was designed using four shipping containers, joined together using the original steel walls and floor and enhancing them with OSB board to make sturdy gallery walls for hanging. Perforated screens and swathes of glass that offer views both out to the site's gardens and internally across different rooms and levels, create a flowing interior and an extremely flexible open-plan space.
Uniting modern art and a large automotive collection, the brief outlined a building that would comfortably include a garage for cars, an exhibition space to host temporary shows drawing from the various items in the collections, plus an office, a smaller workshop, a gym and a kennel.
The project was developed by SuperLimão in partnership with the architect Gabriela Coelho.
The ground floor garage is perhaps the gallery’s most striking element; a generous, open space supported just by two pillars and housing anything from vintage cars and motorcycles to more contemporary models.
The project's striking outdoor spaces are a distinctive part of the scheme. Spreading across various levels and encompassing terraces and gardens, nearly all of the project's roofs are accessible. ‘The floors become the ceiling, and vice-versa, creating a unique experience that would be worthy of an Escher drawing', say the architects. This gesture also ensures the space – and the use of containers – is perfectly in tune with its locale and the site specific climatic requirements of Brazil, creating a flow of air throughout that cleverly minimises the use of air conditioning systems.
The building is a balanced composition that references workshops and shipping containers.
The project consists of an art exhibition gallery, an office, a smaller workshop, a gym and a kennel...
... as well as an extensive garage for the owner's cars.
Several levels of accessible roof terraces and gardens make this project merge seamlessly with the landscape.
Inside, the stainless steel walls and floors from the containers' original structure have been restored and left visible in the space.
The four containers used for the construction lend the space its distinctive industrial feel.
Perforated screens and sheets of glass create an open and bright interior with plenty of views out.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Superlimão
-
Futuristic-feeling Southwark Tube Station has been granted Grade II-listed statusCelebrated as an iconic piece of late 20th-century design, the station has been added to England’s National Heritage List
-
David Shrigley is quite literally asking for money for old rope (£1 million, to be precise)The Turner Prize-nominated artist has filled a London gallery with ten tonnes of discarded rope, priced at £1 million, slyly questioning the arbitrariness of artistic value
-
The new Bentley Supersports pares back the luxury to create a screaming two-seaterBentley redefines its iconic grand tourer with a lightweight performance variant that strips out the trim and the tech and adds in refined dynamics and more visual drama than ever before
-
Inspired by farmhouses, a Cunha residence unites cosy charm with contemporary Brazilian livingWhen designing this home in Cunha, upstate São Paulo, architect Roberto Brotero wanted the structure to become 'part of the mountains, without disappearing into them'
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
Tropical gardens envelop this contemporary Brazilian home in São Paulo stateIn the suburbs of Itupeva, Serena House by architects Padovani acts as a countryside refuge from the rush of city living
-
Itapororoca House blends seamlessly with Brazil’s lush coastal landscapeDesigned by Bloco Arquitetos, Itapororoca House is a treetop residence in Bahia, Brazil, offering a large wrap-around veranda to invite nature in
-
A postmodernist home reborn: we tour the British embassy in BrazilWe tour the British Embassy in Brazil after its thorough renovation by Hersen Mendes Arquitetura, which breathes new life into a postmodernist structure within the country's famous modernist capital
-
A new concrete house in São Paulo state is designed to open up to its hillside viewsArchitects Fernanda Padula and Juliana Risso have shaped this family house in Brazil from meticulously poured concrete forms, precise joinery and a close relationship with the landscape
-
Meet Carmen Portinho, the pioneering engineer who shaped Brazilian architectureCarmen Portinho’s pioneering vision shaped Brazil’s social housing, museums and modernist identity. A new exhibition in Rio finally gives her work the recognition it deserves
-
An upstate São Paulo house is rooted in culture and the location that inspires itBalancing tradition and modernity, upstate São Paulo house Casa MM by Equipe Lamas is ‘an oasis of intimacy within a residential setting’
