Herzog & De Meuron Have Big Plans For Sao Paolo Luz Cultural Complex

Architizer News

Herzog & De Meuron Have Big Plans For Sao Paolo Luz Cultural Complex

February 21, 2013

Herzog & De Meuron has recently released the renderings of the Luz Cultural Complex in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and let’s start by saying: Wow–it is huge! In fact, it is so big, that the architects who designed it started with a street grid. The grid turned into the actual venues of the complex, stacked perpendicularly at half levels and creating a weaved mesh of rectangular elements. This net allows guests to move freely between the nodes dedicated to creative spaces. Lush vegetation and trees fill every void of this entangled, textural building, making for lots of intimate spaces and an indoor-outdoor gradient. See more images!

The functional mix will include the 1750-seat Dance Theater, which forms the backbone of the building spanning its full length; the 500-seat Recital Hall; and the flexible Experimental Theater with up to 400 seats to be used for dance as well as opera, theater, and music performances. Students and professionals, performers and audience, production and rehearsal will combine in one place. Architects hope that the high degree of visibility and accessibility allowed by the building’s design will encourage interaction and stimulate creativity.

The main access in the complex is provided by a Grand Ramp, a slab projecting out from the heart of the building and sloping down to the adjacent plaza to gently collect pedestrians from the neighboring metro and train stations. The Ramp leads to a central node of circulation that distributes flows both vertically and horizontally, connecting the main open foyers and atriums of the building. Lighting completes the scene adding a dramatic spark to these spaces during performance evenings.

The Luz Cultural Complex is the newest addition to the growing cultural district of Sao Paulo, next to other prominent cultural facilities. Started in 2009, its completion is expected in 2016.