Located on the busy highway connecting the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the intervention project at Nestlé’s chocolate factory stands out in the generic landscape that borders the road and extends an invitation for passersby to enter the factory premises.
In order to create a visiting route within the factory space, which dates back to the 1960s, the construction of access towers and glass and steel walkways was proposed, distinguished by their red color. These elements address both the issue of conflicting flows between production and visitation and the creation of a distinctive feature in the surroundings of the highway, standing out from the sober existing buildings in the factory.
The structural geometry and materials of these new elements were designed to provide a unique sensory and perceptual experience, as well as contribute to the understanding of information about the history and production of chocolate, which were distributed along the route.
Two towers and external walkways were created outside the factory: a smaller access tower and a larger exit tower facing the Dutra Highway, both composed of a set of stairs and elevators. The metal structure of the towers and walkways is made up of 100mm diameter tubular profiles, with variations in the thickness of the inner walls, providing the same detail for the attachment of laminated glass panels with red film (south face) and expanded steel sheets in a brise soleil pattern (north face).
The structure consists of non-coplanar triangular modules measuring 2.5m, which repeat every 10m. This configuration not only provides structural bracing and allows for a more slender structure but also causes the glass planes to reflect the ever-changing landscape of both the factory’s daily activities and the surrounding highway.
The spans of Walkway I are 10 meters (supported by pillars and variable-section metal beams), and between Tower I and the factory, it is 27.5 meters. As for Walkway II, the span between the tower and the pillar is 15m, and the cantilever to the factory is 5m.
Within the route, 10 thematic cores were designed based on the factory’s production process, ranging from raw materials to different stages of production, culminating in the final packaging phase. Circular windows were strategically placed, and each core has distinct colors, materials, and characteristics, such as a specific soundtrack, narration, and scenography.
technical information
Completion: 2011
Architecture and Museography Project:
Metro Arquitetos Associados:
Team:
Anna Ferrari, Gustavo Cedroni, and Martin Corullon, Paloma Delgado, Paula Noia, Ricardo Canton, Alfonso Simelio, Felipe Fuchs, Bruno Kim, Marina Ioshii, and Pedro Mesquita
Production:
Giro Consultoria, Luciana Meili
Structure:
Eng. Heloisa Maringoni, Companhia de Projetos
Foundations:
Renato Perezin
Lighting:
Lux Projetado, Ricardo Heder
Graphic Design:
BVY Arquitetos, Cássia Buitoni
Content:
Pletora, Paula Pinto e Silva
Soundtrack and Audio:
Zut, Cacá Machado
Civil Construction:
Emplatec, Eng. Rubens Molinari, Eng. Edimilson Brandão
Metal Structure:
Bandeirantes
Scenography:
Liz Eventos, Luis Picker
Equipment and Audiovisual Programming:
Emotique
Nestlé Brasil Chocolates:
Luis Felipe Rego, Ricardo Bassani, Lívia Rodrigues, Marina Pádua, Eng. Albano Alves
Communication Agency:
J.W.T.
Numbers:
Total Area: 1,850 m²
Spans of Walkways: 27.5m (Walkway 1) and 15.0m (Walkway 2)
Height: 17m (Tower 1) and 10m (Tower 2)
Total Weight of Structure: 42 tons
Total Distance of Visiting Route: 713m
Photos by Leonardo Finotti