Juris Correspondente’s head office in Belo Horizonte is located on top of an old building in the central area of Belo Horizonte and has a spectacular 360 degree view of the city. From the top of this building, its privileged position allows seeing several important points of the city, such as the Serra do Curral, the Municipal Park, the City Center with its blind gables graffiti, the Santa Tereza neighborhood, as well as emblematic postmodern buildings.
Project name: Juris Correspondente Headquarters
Company name: TETRO ARQUITETURA
Carlos Maia, Débora Mendes and Igor Macedo
Project location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Completion Year: 2019
Photo credits: Gustavo Xavier
The project program basically consists of three main spaces: a large work room, a meeting room and the terraces. The work room is composed of a single amoeboid shared table, which represents the work synergy. A purple floor made of epoxy paint is one of the main elements that gives the office personality, and makes reference to the brand logo.
The ceiling was designed as a grid of steel cables, which expresses the soul of the company that is “a network of lawyers connections” and has the function of flexibilizing the electrical infrastructure and fixing the various plants that are scattered throughout the space. The walls were all covered with whiteboard, so that one can write on them. A meeting room was built at one end of the terrace and has a panoramic view of BH. It’s table also follows the same organic line as the workroom table. The floor was executed in wooden deck allowing the rain drainage. Next to the window of this room there is an elevated flower bed, where various types of spices were planted.
The terraces are the spaces that give greater identity to the place. These areas, which surround the entire office, were occupied as open spaces for decompression. Most of the original materials have been retained, with furniture made from a wooden deck and fruit tree pots being added. The magenta steel volumes house a small kitchen and its complementary spaces. A net of fabric squares supported by steel wires was also created to cast shadows and make the environment pleasant to use on sunny days. It was very interesting to see the appropriation of these spaces by the employees, who use it as a meal space, for socializing and having informal meetings.
Finally, Juris architectural design demonstrates that it is possible for the business environment to be cool, to value employees, increase creativity and otherwise be serious without infantilizing the workspace.
The Tetro Arquitetura
Based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the office is formed by architects Carlos Maia, Débora Mendes and Igor Macedo. The office’s professional practice is based on the careful study of the premises and conditions of the site and the client, seeking a unique and unrepeatable solution to each project.
Fundamentals such as integration with nature, use of natural materials and exploration of architectural voids are characteristics that permeate every project, from urban scale to furniture design.
The office was awarded with the first prize in the competition for the Minas Gerais Symphony Orchestra Headquarters. It is responsible for projects of museums, venues, commercial, residential and industrial buildings in various states of Brazil.
