Portuguese brutalist architecture is present in an outstanding sports centre recently completed in Portugal by Valdemar Coutinho Arquitectos that features elements of brutalist architecture, the most evident aspect being angular concrete surfaces that funnel daylight into the building’s public foyer. The sports facility was created for the use of the locally based Pedro Barbosa School as well as the community of Viana do Castelo.

The sports centre was entitled The Atlantic Pavilion and is situated on the street facing the Avenida do Atlântico. Fundamentally established as a brutalist building, concrete was one of the main materials used to build the centre both in its exterior and interior structures.

Even under a restrict budget, the Portuguese group of architects guarantee that the centre would have “an appealing, dynamic and humanised image”. The building has a 650-square-metre sports hall features a perpendicular block that also has four changing areas.

The entrance structure of the centre of the Atlantic Pavilion features glazed doors positioned beneath a cantilevered upper storey that incorporates clerestory windows framed by angled concrete surfaces. Individuals will get plenty of natural lighting due to recessed windows. The angular form also echoes the shape of the sports hall’s main elevation, which slopes to free up pavement space below and follows the rake of the bleachers inside.

In regards to the colour palette, the building benefits mostly from a monochrome scheme where the concrete surfaces are further enhanced by grey stone panels, “the general tone of the building is grey, which reminds us of the beautiful grey sea,” disclose the group of architects.

In order to increase the aesthetic value, the group commisioned Mário Rocha to decorate the foyer, who then created embossed tiles that highlight astonishing motifs that were inspired by the crustaceans and algae found on local beaches.

All in all, the building gets a robust yet functional character due to all the concrete used on walls and columns while it also gets a welcoming and warm vibe thanks to the knotted timber used on the roof structure.

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