quartzite ridges nestle pedro geraldes’ concrete control center overlooking portuguese dam

pedro geraldes’ ‘poc santa luzia’ overlooks portuguese dam

Wedged into a quartzite ridge in Pampilhosa da Serra, Portugal, ‘POC Santa Luzia’ is an observation and control center for the Santa Luzia Dam, conceived by Pedro Geraldes. Designed for global energy company EDP, the new concrete industrial facility is situated in the Portuguese midlands, next to a sweeping concrete arch dam, a wide water reservoir, and majestic quartzite formations.

the vegetation ‘absorbs’ the building over the time | all images courtesy of the author

the concrete volume discreetly emerges from the cliffside

With the design and implantation of ‘POC Santa Luzia’, the team at Pedro Geraldes were initially met with many site constraints, including the uneven topography, reduced area available with good visibility for the water discharge structures and interference with geodesic landmarks. Resolving these issues, the architects carefully situated the building on an area located above the access road, in a ‘semi-buried’ position. This position offers unobstructed views of the dam and water reservoir, while ensuring adequate landscape integration of the new construction, with the intervention being underhanded, located under the ground and aligned with a granite wall.

From the lower level, the concrete volume is perceptible through a large horizontal opening, which guarantees clear visibility of the interior spaces towards the dam. The building is accessed through a long staircase leading to a patio which serves as an antechamber. With an interior area of approximately 35 square meters, the building is divided into three spaces: entrance, sanitary facility, observation and control room.

the bush-hammered concrete and the quartzite formations behind

an environmentally conscious design

The sensitivity of the surrounding landscape, the regional authorities’ strict requirements for the landscape framework of the intervention, and the limited accessibility to the site, encouraged Pedro Geraldes to implement a conventional construction system with an environmentally conscious approach that inserts the volume discreetly into the existing landscape. In a seamless continuity of the surrounding land, a green roof allows for the organic growth of vegetation across it. The exterior walls boast half-peak bush-hammered concrete, a material that reveals the aggregate that composes it. The granite wall that existed on the site was thus replaced by an identic rough texture, which aimed to echo and relate the building with the surrounding imposing quartzitic ridges.

Moreover, corten steel has been used for the exterior cabinet sheltering the heat pump, highlighting the importance of the patio as the main entrance from the outside. Entirely recycled and durable steel is further featured on the staircase and ramp, while reusable gravel is used in the yard, allowing rainwater to seep into the ground.

main access from the street