Belem Cultural Centre

1. The building complex of the Belem Cultural Centre in Praça do Imperio

Lisbon, Belem Cultural Centre (2)

2. The council chamber: the halogen lamps placed in the structural joints of the walls and ceiling provide the hall´s main lighting, turning it into a bright and shiny box

Lisbon, Belem Cultural Centre (3)

3. The opera house : two large custom-designed chandelier composed of extremely low-voltage halogen lamps fitted on a square-meshed trellis take care of the hall´s main lighting. A system of latches means they can be concealed in the ceiling during performances and are easy to maintain. Wall appliances, also custom-designed and placed around the edge of the hall, light up the stalls and highlight the hall´s geometric design

Lisbon, Belem Cultural Centre (4)

4. Auditorium: halogen lamps with reflector incorporated fixed to the ceiling´s main structure guarantee the appropriate illuminance levels in the hall through smooth lighting and excellent chromatic effects

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... the Belem Cultural Centre tackled the problem of how to slot a major architectural project between a monumental building and existing urban fabric. The building, measuring 400 metres in length, has a predominantly horizontal form as a means of relating the monumental part of Belem to the tower of the same name along the banks of the Tago. An axial pedestrian way crossing various levels organises a system of spaces epitomising urban complexity while holding onto a sequence of open spaces, the key feature along the river front. The main pedestrian way cuts across a pattern of different spaces and affords side views of the service road intersecting it ... The main front over to the east is scaled to Los Jeronimos Convent ...the three blocks forming this building hold the EEC Council Chambers, the meeting room, all the necessary utilities, the main auditorium, a 1500-seat opera house, and an exhibition centre. The pedestrian path hinges around the Museum´s main public plaza. There are exhibition facilities for temporary exhibitions (8000 m) beneath the plaza, while the rooms belonging to the permanent museum are housed in the perimeter buildings. The garden terraces, facing the river and city, hold the outdoor exhibitions (Joseph Rykwert, Gregotti Associati, Rizzoli, 1995, pp. 80-86).