HQ Confab offices, Pindamonhagaba, Brazil
Program: an addition to an existing building, office planning, and interior design of both
Size: 1,500 sqm addition + 1,000 sqm existing building
Status: completed in 2003
The widespread use of galvanized sheet metal throughout Brazil strongly influenced the design of the new building.
Reserved for basic residential and industrial projects throughout the region, this material is commonly viewed as unacceptable for use in office buildings.
Challenging this notion, the material was chosen for this building because of its pleasing aesthetics and its expediency in construction, namely a roof-system that can be modeled on site by unrolling the sheet from a coil placed on a truck.
The idea for the project is to create a tunnel of galvanized steel, with the offices positioned underneath in a glass building.
With its generous overhang and series of inclined rain pipes, the galvanized steel roof protects the glass faƧade from sun and seasonal rains, abundant in the region.