Piscinas da Povoação Azores building, Azores architecture, São Miguel pools design architect

Piscinas da Povoação, Portugal : Azores Building

Piscinas da Povoação, São Miguel, Açores design by Barbosa & Guimaraes

Povoação Pools

Design: Barbosa & Guimaraes

5 June 2012

Piscinas da Povoação

The village of Povoação is located on the Archipelago of the Azores, on the southern edge of the island of S. Miguel.

Protected from the sea by a slope, the building is going to occupy a plot comprised of a flat, rectangular platform already prepared and used by the Municipal Council for other outdoor sports activities. This platform was achieved by «sacrificing» the slope, imposing a cut that distorts its natural volume.

photos : © João Ferrand

The project takes advantage of the existing cut to construct the building along its length, seeking a «fusion» between the new construction and the surrounding landscape. Its volume is fragmented and «runs», forming masses of black basalt, which correspond to the various functional groups of the programme.

The coverings are «contaminated» by the green of the surrounding fields, punctuated by skylights, which ensure natural lighting of the interior spaces.

A square of basalt gives physical support to the building, defining courses and accesses around an Araucaria, whose verticality and symbolic load announce and upgrade this new public space.

Inside, the programme is organised from the competition and training tanks, maintaining basalt as the dominant element in the entire composition.

On the upper floor, an outdoor esplanade supporting the bar looks out to sea.

Site at São Miguel, Açores:

photo : © João Ferrand

Piscinas da Povoacao – Building Information

Title: MUNICIPAL POOLS OF POVOAÇÃO
Site: povoação, são miguel, açores
Client: povoadesp • construção e gestão de equipamentos desportivos, recreativos e turísticos da povoação
Project 2005-06
Construction 2007-08
Architecture: barbosa & guimarães – josé antónio barbosa ; pedro lopes guimarães
Co-workers: miguel pimenta, paula fonseca, josé marques, henrique dias, marta horta, luís monteiro, amandine evrard
Structures and stability época: antónio martins
Hydraulic installations dhv: dias da costa
Electrical installations rga: paulo oliveira
Mechanical installations rga: pedro albuquerque
Construction company: irmãos cavaco
Project director: tolda abreu, joão Ribeiro

Photography: joão ferrand

Piscinas da Povoação images / information from Barbosa & Guimaraes

Piscinas da Povoação architect : Barbosa & Guimarães

Location: Povoação, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal