Please update your browser for a better experience
X
abstract
Project gallery image Project gallery image Project gallery image Project gallery image Project gallery image Project gallery image
PORTUGUESE NATIONAL PAVILION

For the Portuguese National Pavilion, Balmond had the idea to create a dramatic entrance canopy that appeared to defy its mass and take flight. With two cuts positioned in the form, the concrete used for the canopy is denied connectivity to the supports, with cables running through the drape to deliver the load to the abutments. The effect of sun light seeping in gives the illusion of the drape floating. The canopy is more than structure and shade; its flight gives ceremony and celebration. The juxtaposition of gravity and solidity with that of ethereality causes disbelief, the shock of concrete flying the distance.

Location:
Lisbon, Portugal
Collaborators:
Álvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Arup AGU
Completion:
1998
Built Area:
3,200 sqm
Program:
Exhibition Pavilion
Client:
Álvaro Siza Arquitecto Lda

abstract