Portuguese photographer Nelson Garrido has sent us his photos of the new headquarters for mobile phone brand Vodafone in Porto, designed by architects Barbosa & Guimaraes of Matosinhos in Portugal.
Called Oporto Vodafone Building, the project has a faceted concrete shell with angular windows.
The architects aimed to create a sense of movement and irregularity.
The building has eight floors, three of which are underground.
The ground floor comprises a shop, cafe and entrance hall.
Offices are located on the remaining storeys above ground, with parking and training facilities housed in the subterranean floors.
Here’s some text from the architects:
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OPORTO VODAFONE BUILDING, PORTUGAL 2006 – 2009
In July 2006, when we were invated to the new building competition, through the media, radio, television and newspapers we could notice the following slogan: “VODAFONE LIFE, LIFE IN MOTION.”
This sentence reflects the attitude and philosophy of Vodafone.
We believe that the new building should be faithful to this idea, adopting a dynamic image, conveying the sense of movement, challenging the static.
Seeking inspiration from painting, sculpture, photography, arts which had already faced this dilemma, the office building, designed usually linear, begins to become an irregular body, out of balance, with many faces in motion.
The formalization of this concept is based on the concrete, which through its plasticity, allows to create irregular and free-form shapes, working both as a structural solution and exterior appearence, creating a unique shape, a monolithic building, bringing cohesion and unity to the set.
The technical complexity of the building leads to a periphery structural solution, a shell of concrete, like an egg, reducing internal support to the two stairwells and three central pillars, allowing great versatility in its interior space use.
Functionally, the building has eight floors working three as underground.
On the ground floor, in addition to the auditorium, we have a store facing the Boavista Avenue, the cafeteria and office acess.
In the four upper floors appears the offices working as open-space with an accessible terrace.
In the underground, the floors -3 and -2, are working as car parking facilities and the -1 floor is occupied by technical areas and training rooms.
