Resende Sports and Culture Center

The project for the Resende Sports and Culture Center begins with the idea of building with. It takes as its starting point the very nature of an arena and a convention center—spaces of convergence that exist to bring people together in collective events. Thus, the proposal seeks to conceive the project from the standpoint of the place as a common. The initial design principles aim to bring architecture, open spaces, and elements of nature into alignment as participants in a shared purpose.

The site plan positions the building at the geometric center of the block, creating a transversal passage and opening views between the street and the mountains, preserving the visibility and horizon of the site. This strategy also enables the creation of a large open area designed as a park. The roof, in turn, responds to the metropolitan scale of the program: a vast common canopy capable of sheltering many people. Its dimension requires careful management of the water it collects, generating integrated drainage solutions and rain gardens.

The layout follows the North–South longitudinal axis. This decision seeks to maximize the continuous area available for the park and minimize the impact of transplanting existing species on the site. Its configuration creates gathering spaces, pathways, open areas, and flexible zones capable of adapting to future demands and expanding the possibilities of inhabiting the place.

Building and park share the same ground. The boundaries between interior and exterior, architecture and landscape, become porous and interdependent. The main design operation is the separation between the roof and what is actually the built program. In several sections, the roof extends beyond the program; in others, its limit opens completely, sheltering permeable surfaces, gardens, and areas that receive rainwater. This broad canopy brings together different uses, articulating the architectural and landscape design under a single gesture.

To mediate between monumental and human scales, the project organizes shifts in ceiling height. The perimeter access ranges from 12 to 16 meters high, the entry to the Convention Center block drops to 3.5 meters, and then rises again to 7.5 meters in the foyer. This alternation arranges the programs according to scale and intensity of use.

The building combines two distinct yet complementary structural systems. The large roof rests on concrete columns 80 cm in diameter, spaced every 6 meters, supporting a variable-section truss and forming a framed structure that defines the canopy. Beneath it, a grid organizes the entire program into 12-meter-wide programmatic bands, articulating different scales and uses.

The project proposes a synthesis of architecture, landscape, and urban infrastructure. The roof provides shelter, shade, and continuity; the park expands the field of collective life and adapts over time. Together, they form an open, flexible structure capable of accommodating different uses and scales, reaffirming the idea that building with is the most powerful way to inscribe oneself in the territory.

Year: 2025
Location: Resende, RJ, Brazil
Built Area: 16.515 m2
Permeable Area: 21.195 m2

Competition Team: MATTERIA + QWE + Matta Atelier, Monteiro Arquitetura
Authors: Lucas Coelho Netto, Larissa Monteiro, Raphael Carneiro, Raphael Matta
Collaborators: Júlia Auler (QWE)