Casa Una
In a park in the city of Uberlandia, Brazil stands Casa Una, a community center and gathering space for park visitors and neighborhood residents. In addition to other uses, it has an open auditorium, a food hall, an office for the neighborhood association, and an exhibition space. Built with a laminated timber structure, the building uses energy-saving passive ventilation and thermal comfort techniques. Lastly, the roof is topped with three species of vegetation covered in a geometric pattern, reducing the heat gained from solar exposure and acting as a fifth facade when viewed from above.
Casa Una Community Center by Matheus Diniz was featured as an innovative illustration of architectural design by the A' Design Awards. Casa Una Community Center was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design in 2023. The A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award is an international, meritocratic, just and fair design recognition program that celebrates exceptional design of skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions, religious structures, infrastructure designs, landscaping projects and more.
