CULTURAL CENTRE OF CARTAXO - architeria.eu

CULTURAL CENTRE OF CARTAXO

The Cartaxo Cultural Centre stands out for the bold exposed concrete cantilever that projects itself like
a “bally of a whale” onto the street and foyer to house the main auditorium. Sited between two gables,
the Centre introduces an iconographic and public character, balancing the tension between its extensive
programme, the site exiguity and the modest scale of the city main civic square.

Transparency and permeability enable a visual and spatial flow and a porous relationship with the square.
The concrete and glass screen façade acts as a mediator of scale, allowing one to inhabit this exterior wall.
The foyer is constructed in exposed concrete, natural slate and pine timber studs, emphasizing the character
of these materials. Strong and bright colours are used in the back of stage areas to reveal its lively character
to the street. In the two halls, light is revealed as matter sculptured out of the walls and ceilings surfaces.


Project data:
> Limited Competition: 1st Prize
> Client: City Hall of Cartaxo
> Construction Area: 3100 m2
> Construction cost including equipment: 3 000 000 euros