Text description provided by the architects. The new unit stands out as an extension of the Avenue itself, establishing itself as a free territory to be appropriated by the general public. Among its structural characteristics, the concept is developed in the large accesses, in the various areas of coexistence - with internal squares and a terrace at the top - and even in the choice of materials, such as the use of non-reflective glass. The option for the material, which appears conjugated to zinc plates on the facade, reveals the various activities carried out inside the building. Architecture is only completed when activated by the movement of people, and for this relationship every structure was conceived with the actions that will be developed in the Unit, guided by the "Body-Art-Technology" trinomial.
"The configuration of the east and west facades, with horizontal features, allows users a new look at the city while breaking with the typical typology of Paulista Avenue office buildings, announcing a new use of the old building (designed by Sérgio Pileggi and Euclides de Oliveira in the 1970s), divided between Sesc and Fecomércio, and a new and democratic audience, "says Gianfranco Vannucchi, the architect responsible for the project.
Access to the new unit, from Av. Paulista, takes place in a large area of coexistence with multipurpose space and a paracycle with capacity for 40 bicycles. In the ground floor there are also two escalators, 6 elevators and two pressurized fire stairs for access to the upper floors. In the 2nd Floor is the Relationship Center and living area, as well as the Sesc store.
The various spaces and services - Café Terrace, Library, Children's Room, Technology and Arts, Sports halls and Shows, Shop and Dental Offices - were distributed over 17 floors, with four basic aspects: the neighborhood between similar activities, levels of noise produced by the activities, the volume of the public accessing the unit and the external visuals.
Reinforcing this integration between the activities and the pavements of exposure there are voids in the slabs, totally open. Stairs were created between floors, visually and physically integrating the activities of the unit. It was also tried to leave the pavements as free as possible in order to allow great flexibility in their uses.
In addition to the aesthetic effect, the large glass slide acts as an acoustic and thermal antechamber, always flanked by a naturally ventilated internal terrace, which acts as a screen for refrigerated environments. These, in turn, have their corridor seals defined from the amount of light desired, in glass with solar control and spaces for shows and exhibitions are contemplated with blackout. The other facades are sealed with light precast or masonry, reducing in this way the thermal and acoustic loads coming from the outside.