SESC Thermas Presidente Prudente

The project for SESC Thermas Presidente Prudente is structured around two complementary axes: a sociocultural axis, which organizes the main uses and access points along the slab building and programmatic blocks, and a landscape corridor, which visually and physically connects the complex to the park, emphasizing the project’s environmental character.

The sociocultural axis begins at the entrance on Floriano Borges Street and develops along the building to the West, which houses cultural spaces (exhibition areas, multipurpose rooms), a cafeteria, administrative offices, and health programs, establishing the functional and operational core of the complex. To the East, this axis connects to the sports and leisure block, which includes a multipurpose court, indoor pool, gym, and water facilities. To the South, the theater block is strategically positioned to take advantage of the site’s natural slope, shaping the seating area and allowing the stage to open toward the outside for open-air performances, integrating the building with the city’s cultural life.

The landscape corridor begins at Alberto Peters Street and crosses the central void of the slab building—a space with a 10-meter-high ceiling that provides visual connection between different levels. Following accessible paths and ramps that gently adapt to the site’s natural topography, visitors reach the park at the lowest elevation of the lot, creating an accessible and seamless transition to the local landscape.

The intersection of these two axes creates a covered plaza, a central space that synthesizes the project’s concept—articulating circulation and serving as a vital point for gathering, interaction, and sociability, reinforcing Sesc’s public and integrative character. The project is guided by the idea of a public ground, with an open and collective ground floor that connects the most communal programs of the SESC directly to the street level, fostering an open relationship with the territory. This topographical strategy minimizes the need for excavation and fill, allowing the complex to respond sensitively to the site’s original contours and to emphasize the continuity between interior and exterior, creating a system of intuitive, autonomous, and accessible flows for diverse users.

The tallest building concentrates vertical circulation and technical areas, grouping wet zones near circulation cores to optimize infrastructure and maintenance. The sports block adopts a lightweight roof with metal trusses and thermo-acoustic panels, ensuring large spans and thermal and acoustic comfort essential for high-demand activities. The outdoor pool, oriented north and located near the sports block, receives full sunlight throughout the day year-round, serving as an element of integration with the park.

The construction system combines concrete and steel, enabling open floor plans, flexibility for future reconfigurations, and faster construction with reduced environmental impact. Enclosures are designed according to solar orientation and each program’s specific needs, combining metal louvers that allow adjustable shading and ventilation on the west façades, insulated opaque panels that minimize heat gain in exposed areas, and large glass openings positioned to maximize natural light without compromising indoor comfort. Electrical and plumbing systems are either exposed or concentrated in accessible shafts, simplifying maintenance and improving the building’s durability.

The project integrates sustainable strategies that extend beyond the building itself, incorporating the renaturalization of the stream into the landscape circuit and reinforcing Sesc’s connection with its territory. The landscape design prioritizes native and fruit-bearing species in mosaics that enhance biodiversity and foster sensory bonds between fauna and users, creating conservation islands and educational spaces. Agroforestry cores, gardens, nurseries, interpretive trails, and an Interactive Naturalized Space—where trunks and stones replace traditional playgrounds—consolidate Sesc Thermas as a center not only for culture and health but also for education and environmental conservation.

Year: 2025
Location: Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Built Area: 22.600 m2
Permeable Area: 21.600 m2

Competition Team: MATTERIA + Gavea Arquitetos
Authors: Lucas Coelho Netto, Felipe Rio Branco, Alziro Neto
Landscape: Raphael Matta
Collaborators: João Sodré, Diego Portas, Juliana Sicuro