Servei de Meteorologica
Barcelona, Spain · 1992
Photo · Photo by © epldp.com
A precedent for cylindrical massing that uses a strong horizontal material split—smooth concrete below and white brick above—with deep subtractive voids to control light and views.
- What we like about this project
- The upper white brick portion features a subtle, grid-like texture that contrasts with the smooth, horizontal formwork lines of the concrete base.
Materials
- exposed-concrete
- white-brick
- glass
- steel
Visual identifiers
- cylindrical-building
- concrete-base
- white-brick-facade
- carved-voids
- deep-recesses
Style tags
- modernist
- rationalist
- monolithic
- sculptural
Visual tags
- monolithic
- cylindrical
- material-contrast
- civic-architecture
- subtractive-geometry
- Geometry
- A cylindrical massing divided horizontally into two primary bands: a smooth, board-formed concrete base and a white brick-clad upper drum. Deep vertical slots and rectangular voids are carved into the cylinder, disrupting its pure geometry.
- Facade system
- Load-bearing concrete base with a brick-clad upper cavity wall and deeply recessed punched windows.
- Structural guess
- Cast-in-place concrete structure with load-bearing perimeter walls.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story civic building, approximately four to five stories tall, scaled to stand out as a landmark in an open public space.
- Lighting
- Harsh, direct sunlight casting sharp, dark shadows within the deep building recesses and projecting the shadow of a palm tree onto the facade.
- Atmosphere
- A stark, sculptural presence under intense Mediterranean light, balancing heavy concrete with clean white masonry.
- Environmental context
- An open urban plaza setting near a coastal or palm-lined street, under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The building reads as a heavy, defensive monument from the exterior, with deep-set openings that conceal the interior spaces and create a sense of solid mass carved by light.
- Composition rhythm
- A horizontal split divides the cylinder into two halves, while deep vertical slots create a strong, irregular vertical rhythm.
- Style reading
- Portuguese Modernism / Alvaro Siza Rationalism
- Program
- Meteorological office or scientific facility
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- exposed-concrete, white-brick, glass, steel
- Visual identifiers
- cylindrical-building, concrete-base, white-brick-facade, carved-voids, deep-recesses
- Style tags
- modernist, rationalist, monolithic, sculptural
- Visual tags
- monolithic, cylindrical, material-contrast, civic-architecture, subtractive-geometry
- Geometry
- A cylindrical massing divided horizontally into two primary bands: a smooth, board-formed concrete base and a white brick-clad upper drum. Deep vertical slots and rectangular voids are carved into the cylinder, disrupting its pure geometry.
- Facade system
- Load-bearing concrete base with a brick-clad upper cavity wall and deeply recessed punched windows.
- Structural guess
- Cast-in-place concrete structure with load-bearing perimeter walls.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story civic building, approximately four to five stories tall, scaled to stand out as a landmark in an open public space.
- Lighting
- Harsh, direct sunlight casting sharp, dark shadows within the deep building recesses and projecting the shadow of a palm tree onto the facade.
- Atmosphere
- A stark, sculptural presence under intense Mediterranean light, balancing heavy concrete with clean white masonry.
- Environmental context
- An open urban plaza setting near a coastal or palm-lined street, under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The building reads as a heavy, defensive monument from the exterior, with deep-set openings that conceal the interior spaces and create a sense of solid mass carved by light.
- Composition rhythm
- A horizontal split divides the cylinder into two halves, while deep vertical slots create a strong, irregular vertical rhythm.
- Style reading
- Portuguese Modernism / Alvaro Siza Rationalism
- Program
- Meteorological office or scientific facility
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture