The Itaú Cultural New Headquarters stems from the intention to establish an intense relationship with the city. Situated on Paulista Avenue (Brazil, São Paulo-SP), the building recognizes the avenue as a territory of flow, diversity, and cultural expression, building a permanent dialogue between public space and the institution. The project's narrative is guided by the concept of the journey. The architecture is conceived as a sequence of discoveries, pauses, and moments of stillness, where vertical circulation transcends its purely functional role to become a spatial experience.
The building welcomes and guides visitors through light, voids, and visual connections between floors. The facade is an interface with the city. Through the interplay between white brise-soleils and colored interior planes, the building is perceived differently depending on the observer's movement, bringing architecture closer to kinetic art. Open and plural, the project aims to host the most diverse cultural expressions.
The project incorporates urban constraints and the site complexity into the design process as drawing instruments. The building is organized into programmatic blocks: arrival is set on the ground floor and 1st basement; above, there are 6 exhibition floors; at the upper volume there are studios, multipurpose rooms, and administration. In the basement, there is an auditorium and a theater. The whole program is structured by two axes: in the tower, terraces facing Paulista Ave. dialogue with the city; in the basements, the large void named “Clareira” (Open Glade) ensures natural light and ventilation. Vertical circulation organizes the building. Beyond function, it is conceived as a continuous journey of discoveries and pauses.
The white brise-soleil facade filters light, revealing colorful interior planes and terracotta-toned stairs that evoke Brazilian Artisanal Art. Gardens with Atlantic Forest species span the building, acting as an environmental and pedagogical element.
