Future Architecture Thinking designs the flame-red House of the Arts in Miranda do Corvo
The House of the Arts (or Casa das Artes), designed by Lisbon firm Future Architecture Thinking, is sited in Miranda do Corvo, about 150km south of Porto.
The Portuguese architectural scene is still making its way through Southern Europe's ongoing recession. Major projects have been placed on hold, or even stuttered to a near standstill, casting an air of gloom over a country that sees architecture as integral to its national identity.
The new House of the Arts (or Casa das Artes) in Miranda do Corvo, about 150km south of Porto, bucks the trend in two ways. First up, it's been completed - a sparkling new arts complex built along the Bilbao model to be a focus for the local community, hosting not just gallery shows but also events. Secondly, it's red. The country has a long association with white rendered concrete, in both its traditional vernacular architecture and the Critical Regionalism associated with Siza and his followers.
House of the Arts is unashamedly bold. Designed by Miguel Correia of Lisbon-based firm Future Architecture Thinking - no relation to the London-based FAT Architecture - the project is treated as a soaring enclosure, with high, angled roofs referencing the peaks of the nearby Lousã Mountains and generous new landscaping that knits the complex into the suburban context.
Inside, there's a 300-seater high-tech auditorium and a cafeteria, with plans for a small museum still in hand. From the main foyer space, visitors can access all areas of the new complex, while an outdoor amphitheatre gives the community even more options for future use.
The interplay between angled wall, light and shade, window, slot and landscape makes for a strong, satisfying composition, making the Casa das Artes an unmissable piece of architectural theatre that goes some way to justifying the 'iconic' tag used so explicitly by the architects.
The new arts complex is built along the Bilbao model to be a focus for the local community, hosting not just gallery shows but also events
The bright red facade is a radical choice in a country that has a long association with white rendered concrete, in both its traditional vernacular architecture and the Critical Regionalism associated with Siza and his followers
The project is treated as a soaring enclosure, with high, angled roofs referencing the peaks of the nearby Lousã Mountains and generous new landscaping that knits the complex into the suburban context
Clean lines carve out the entrance
From the main foyer space, visitors can access all areas of the new complex
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Exhibition space inside the building
A monochrome colour palette reinforces the angles of the architecture
The House of the Arts also houses a 300-seater high-tech auditorium and a cafeteria, and there are plans for a small museum still in hand
The interplay between angled wall, light and shade, window, slot and landscape makes for a strong, satisfying composition
A sharp angled opening at the top of the building
A corner of the covered terracing that wraps the building
A sliced detail of the facade
The House of the Arts an unmissable piece of architectural theatre that goes some way to justifying the 'iconic' tag used so explicitly by the architects
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
How to buy art: the accessible new market
Thanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
By Annabel Keenan Published
-
The coolest design-led coffee shops in Seoul
Seoul counts more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the world – cut straight to our six must-visit spots
By Robert Schneider Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Branco del Rio's House AA8 brings a pop of colour to its Portuguese neighbourhood
Based in Portugal, Branco del Rio Arquitectos joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Gulbenkian Foundation's new art centre by Kengo Kuma is light and inviting
Lisbon's Gulbenkian Foundation reveals its redesign and new contemporary art museum, Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM), by Kengo Kuma with landscape architects VDLA
By Amah-Rose Mcknight Abrams Published
-
City Cortex celebrates cork’s versatility with public installations in Lisbon
City Cortex, an urban project in Lisbon developed by Amorim, celebrates cork as a sustainable material with installations by Gabriel Calatrava, Leong Leong, Yves Behar and more
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Casa e a Pedra is a Porto home emerging from a rocky context
Casa e a Pedra by architect François Leite is an urban residential reinvention in Porto, Portugal
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Álvaro Siza Wing expands archive and exhibition space in Porto’s Museu Serralves
Álvaro Siza returns to Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto, crafting his namesake new wing that just opened to the public
By Josh Fenton Published
-
This Portuguese Pavilion in the Garden is a dramatic space for entertaining
Pavilion in the Garden by Spaceworkers is an event space in Portugal, opening up to its leafy setting through dramatic, minimalist architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Casa M is a climate-sensitive home in Portugal’s Algarve
Casa M, an urban home in the Algarve, makes the most of local techniques and the region’s climate in a design by its owners, Portuguese architects A-Lab Architecture
By Stacy Suaya Published