Designing the new Vodafone building in Oporto, Purtugal, the architects José António Barbosa and Pedro Guimarães of Barbosa Guimarães Arquitectos wished to reflect Vodafone's credo "Vodafone Life, Life in Motion".
The architects believed that the new building should be faithful to this idea, adopting a dynamic image, conveying the sense of movement, challenging the static. Seeking inspiration from painting, sculpture, photography, arts which had already faced this dilemma, the office building, designed usually linear, begins to become an irregular body, out of balance, with many faces in motion.

The formalization of this concept is based on the concrete, which through its plasticity, allows to create irregular and free-form shapes, working both as a structural solution and exterior appearence, creating a unique shape, a monolithic building, bringing cohesion and unity to the set.

The technical complexity of the building leads to a periphery structural solution, a shell of concrete, like an egg, reducing internal support to the two stairwells and three central pillars, allowing great versatility in its interior space use.

www.barbosa-guimaraes.com