Brazil’s SESCs (Serviço Social do Comércio) have been a long-standing tradition in the country's cultural history, ever since their invention in the 1940s. Key outposts have been designed by acclaimed architects, such as Lina Bo Bardi (her SESC Pompeia is as iconic as they get) and Oscar Niemeyer (his SESC Copacabana was completed in 1982). Now, São Paulo-based Königsberger Vannucchi has designed the typology’s latest addition; a multi-functional tower on the Brazilian metropolis’ Avenida Paulista.
Founded and run by private businesses, the Social Service of Commerce – SESC – is a unique set-up that looks after the welfare and quality of life of workers within the sectors of goods, tourism and services, promoting cultural education and health. So, SESC Avenida Paulista underlines the famous São Paulo stretch’s growing cultural output, joining Andrade Morettin Arquiteto’ Instituto Moreira Salles, Kengo Kuma and FGMF’s Japan House, and Lina Bo Bardi’s MASP, all of which are located a stone's throw away.
SESC Avenida Paulista is the famous Brazilian avenue's latest cultural addition. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
When it comes to Königsberger Vannucchi’s building, the glass-clad volume was designed to be assertive, yet welcoming and approachable. The architects opted for as much visual transparency as possible, its façade revealing the various activities taking place inside.
‘The configuration of the east and west facades, with horizontal features, allows users a new look at the city while breaking with the typical typology of Paulista Avenue office buildings, announcing a new use of the old building (designed by Sérgio Pileggi and Euclides de Oliveira in the 1970s), divided between SESC and Fecomércio, and a new and democratic audience’, says project lead Gianfranco Vannucchi.
The tall building accommodates a variety of service areas, from a café, library, and children's room, to technology, arts and sports halls, exhibition space, shop and a dentist, across some 17 floors. Encouraging interaction between uses, while maintaining noise levels and public access to appropriate levels for each function, this new SESC brings Avenida Paulista one step further in its journey from corporate and financial hub to a budding cultural district.
Th high rise building contains a variety of services and flexible spaces for cultural, health and educational use. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
A highly sculptural facade alternates opaque panels and fully transparent glass enclosures to enhance visual connections. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
The architects wanted the interior to be visible and welcoming. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
In a break from the other buildings on the street, the SESC offers extensive long views of the São Paulo skyline. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
The building accommodates over 17 floors a variety of service areas, from a café, library, and children’s room... Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
...to technology, arts and sports halls, exhibition space, shop and a dentist. Photography: Pedro Vannucchi
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Konigsberger Vannucchi
-
Brunello Cucinelli’s festive takeover of Harrods turns the department store into a cashmere wonderlandUnveiled this morning, the Umbrian fashion house has taken over the store’s iconic Brompton Road windows, celebrating the spirit of its home town of Solomeo in fantastical fashion
-
Each mundane object tells a story at Pace’s tribute to the everydayIn a group exhibition, ‘Monument to the Unimportant’, artists give the seemingly insignificant – from discarded clothes to weeds in cracks – a longer look
-
Discover The Legacy, Hong Kong’s eye-catching new condoThe Legacy, by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, is a striking new condo tower that aims to ‘create a sense of community and solidarity among people’
-
A spectacular new Brazilian house in Triângulo Mineiro revels in the luxury of spaceCasa Muxarabi takes its name from the lattice walls that create ever-changing patterns of light across its generously scaled interiors
-
An exclusive look at Francis Kéré’s new library in Rio de Janeiro, the architect’s first project in South AmericaBiblioteca dos Saberes (The House of Wisdom) by Kéré Architecture is inspired by the 'tree of knowledge', and acts as a meeting point for different communities
-
A Brasília apartment harnesses the power of optical illusionCoDa Arquitetura’s Moiré apartment in the Brazilian capital uses smart materials to create visual contrast and an artful welcome
-
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
