The project for Praça de São Marcos stems from the ambition to redefine the town’s urban center, creating a new central hub between the Sports Pavilion and Espaço O. The proposal is structured around a public square – an open space for meeting and lingering – that connects existing facilities and gives the community back a place of identity and conviviality.

The steep topography of the land is embraced as an active design element: the difference in level between the upper and lower streets is used to integrate a semi-basement public parking area, freeing up the square’s floor space for pedestrian use. On this platform, three programmatic volumes are organized – a commercial space such as a cafeteria/pastry shop, a service area, and an interpretive center with a viewpoint – which extend the experience of the square and open it to the landscape.

The materiality is dominated by corten steel, whose color and texture evoke the earthy tones of the place and the natural aging of time. In contrast to the exposed concrete and vegetation, the corten steel gives the ensemble a striking and contemporary presence, where the dialogue between material, light and topography constructs a new public landscape for Gaeiras.