CONIF’s – a Brazilian National Council of the Institutions of the Federal Network of Vocational Education, Science and Technology

1:1 arquitetura:design

CONIF’s renovation project – a Brazilian National Council of the Institutions of the Federal Network of Vocational Education, Science and Technology – was designed to take hold in one of the Oscar Niemeyer Building’s huge internal spaces with strength and magnitude. Settled at the Brasilia’s heart and signed in 1973 by the architect himself, the building was built in a simple and sober way, with prefabricated concrete plates and reduced interspace solutions. At the same time, the modern architecture is easily identified through the glass façade and the flexibility of the removable divisions.

The aim of the 1:1 arquitetura:design’s team was bringing for the first time a project rich in design to an head office of a political-institutional council. Most of the political institutions don’t have a link with modern settings, so it was a challenge for the architects to make a conceptual renovation for such an entity. The project is also a tribute to Brazilian design, where its pieces were chosen carefully, mixing rustic and contemporary materials”, highlights the architect Eduardo Sáinz. 

Identity, Challenges and Solutions

The CONIF’s structures had to be functional for such work, aimed at accessible and inclusive distribution of all working rooms and spaces of debate, as well as the auditorium and videoconference room. The use of certificate materials and the maximum use of natural light were also important premises, in addition to the budget that had to be adapted to all ideas and wishes. The project had to fit within the standard public procurement rules for later execution”, explains Sáinz.

The brutalist language, reached in interior design with the abundant use of burnt cement, slatted concrete and corten steel, was applied in order to relate the work to the building which houses it. Another overcome challenge was the reinvention of council’s corporate identity, where the architects sought reference from Brasilia architecture to apply in the institution. The national design is represented through the expressive materials and the simple lines which Brasilia brings to the world, also highlighted with pieces by artists such as Sergio Rodrigues, Paulo Alves, Jader Almeida, Fernando Mendes, among others.

Fotografia: Edgard Cesar

Texto: Marina Cabral