EDP Cultural Centre | Amanda Levete Architects

Designed by Amanda Levete Architects, the EDP foundation cultural center in Lisbon is inspired by water, light, reflections and people. In an attempt to design a building for people that also harvests and explores the wonderful lighting conditions along the Tagus River a topographic form composed of soft, sinuous lines and architectural nuances is produced that blends into the landscape of the once neglected site. With the design, the architects hoped to draw more people from the heart of the city to the panoramic views of the Tagus estuary as well as heightening the beauty of the area. To the south of the site is a shallow set of stairs which lead up to the interior of the building. Set along the riverfront the stairs will be immersed in water during high tide, offering a constantly changing dynamic space that generates a discourse with the ebb and flow of the river and the architecture itself. The stairs are located beneath a shallow, cantilevered roof that slopes downwards from east to west, providing a special place for people to stand atop of to gain better views of the river.

courtesy of © Amanda Levete Architects

A visual relationship, between Lisbon culture and the new building, is established through the use of the same paved stones lining the existing pedestrian walkways to make the floor of the inhabitable rooftop of the cultural center. The skin of the building folds in and out playing with indirect and reflected light, animating the different spaces and volumes according to the cultural program. As the water rises, consuming the stairs outside, the warm colored metallic riverside façade will enhance the reflections normally produced by the water and the light conditions, to produce entrancing moods.

courtesy of © Amanda Levete Architects

By focusing on the horizontal emphasis of the riverfront, the building has a minimal visual impact on views from the greater city out to the waterfront as well. The design, slated for completion in 2014, will activate the property along the Tagus, harnessing the southern sunlight of the city and its water, obscuring the definite boundaries of the gallery and the landscape and creating an iconic location in the city of Lisbon.