Loja Alimentar / Ateliê de Arquitetura Líquida

Architects: Ateliê de Arquitetura Líquida
Location: Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Architect In Charge : Naiara Valéria, André Miguel Coronha
Area: 98.0 m2
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Bruno Meneghitti

Text description provided by the architects. Located in the city center of Juiz de Fora, Alimentar Store aims to offer to consumers two strands of nutriment products: an enteral nutrition aimed at the hospital branch and natural food products, to the general public.

The architectural project started from the perception of these two distinct markets integrated in the same physical space. In the initial part of the store, designated to the hospital products, the proposal is a real “dip” in white, where exhibitors and light materials were chosen to recreate the medical atmosphere. By crossing this space, the user immerses himself in a non-orthogonal wooden box, which invites him to the warmth and return of our roots, which is natural and lasting essence. Using the naval plywood to create this “box”, we tried to value the materials in the way they are, in fact, reflecting on the user experience.

It was thought of the store as a set of units, taking care of every wall, every detail, in order to create a unique characteristic for the spaces. All the furniture was designed by the architects and made of woodwork and metal, including the tile panel that completes the area dominated by the wood, praising it due to the contrast between the materials. This design was created exclusively for the project, with stickers produced and fixed on each of the white tiles, sculpting a unique and personal mosaic, forming an artistic panel with the company’s colors.

The Atelier was inspired to rethink/create/innovate in front of unconventional materials, for a distinct, artistic and unique architecture. In addition to the use of plywood as a wall and ceiling coating, the front display and luminaire gain strength in the environment. Using rigid u-profiles that allow shelving and the use of LED strips in its inside, these elements gain a branched design and stand out in the store’s overall context.

The overlap concentrates the private areas – pantry, meeting room, office, toilet and storage – in which the same tones and materials found on the first floor were used, whether by colors, wood or metal. At the request of the customer, this space should be able to be molded to different functions and needs, thus creating two environments separated by sliding doors, which allows them to be joined or separated by these plans, generating users’ space appropriation dynamics.