Sumptuous Engineered Stone Façades
The design by Gustavo Penna Arquiteto & Associados for the new Zerrenner Foundation educational center in Sete Lagoas is a delightful demonstration of bringing different activities harmoniously together. The Roberto Herbster Gusmão school has three units, but a single underlying design concept to bring uniformity to otherwise separate educational, sporting and cultural pursuits. The school’s curving façade evokes a single movement of form, an act of embracing students and visitors as they walk into the complex. Choosing the ideal cladding material for the front required the architect Penna to work closely with the technical experts at Ulma, eventually allowing him to break new personal ground in his first project with engineered stone. Using a mixture with carefully selected aggregates that go through rigorous quality controls to ensure excellent quality, such concrete is four times more durable than its traditional brother.
The panels used to create this curving façade - Ulma M-05 - Earth (1,800x900 mm and 1,800x800 mm) - were fixed to a special metallic substructure designed specifically for this project to follow the desired lines and movement. Behind the unique façade lie three visibly different blocks, with one for the primary and middle school, one for a vocational college and a main hall with an annexed gym. The rear elevation of the building looks out across an extensive open area forming a sense of continuity through the use of material.
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