The Tancredo Neves Administrative City, government headquarters of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, is basically an official new town designed by Oscar Niemeyer and intended to house 16,000 civil servants. The whole complex was built on a plot of 800,000 sq m, previously a race-course. It concentrates offices and facilities into five monumental blocks: Palacio Tiradentes, seat of top government; the Minas and Gerais towers comprising administrative offices; a service centre with bars, restaurants, banks, a post office and meeting areas; and the 490-seater Juscelino Kubitschek auditorium. A broad green area surrounding the complex has pedestrian walkways, relaxation spots and two artificial lakes to catch rainwater. The grandeur of the project can be gauged from the structure of Palacio Tiradentes, its 147 x 26 metres held suspended upon a white-painted cement structure by 30 stays each formed of 12 steel cables. The curvilinear twin buildings Minas and Gerais rest on pilotis and rise fourteen storeys in height. Between them crouches the service centre. Except for the auditorium, all building façades are of structural glazing with darkened glass deliberately offsetting the white concrete structure. To maximize sun-screening of the windows and bring light but comfort into workspaces, the choice fell on the system of ScreenLine Venetian blinds integrated in double-glazing. Set within standard double-glazing units, ScreenLine blinds are an advantageous choice in terms of duration and energy performance. They stay protected from dirt and atmospheric agents, and need no maintenance. The blind is operated by magnetic controls and does not interfere with the double-glazing insulation in the slightest.
