SESC, a non-profit association of trade, tourism and "service" companies, has established centers in Brazil since the 1940s with educational, sports, cultural, recreational and health functions. They are designed for employees of such firms, but, as a rule, are open to all local residents. The most famous example is the SESC Pompéia by architect Lina Bo Bardi at the site of a factory in São Paulo (1980s), but dozens of such public centers have opened since the middle of the last century, and they continue to be created today.
SESC also deals with projects in the field of various arts, from ballet to literature, in cooperation with Brazilian and foreign partners. The purpose of the work of this non-governmental organization is education and social well-being, and the term “culture” is understood in the broadest sense; The openness of both the spaces and the programs of the SESC centers to all comers deepens the democratization of cultural values as a form of personal independence and a “practical” civic position.
SESC 24 de Maio in the historic center of São Paulo is named after a nearby street - May 24th. His project - the reconstruction of an office tower - was developed by the Pritzker Prize winner Paulo Mendes da Rocha and the MMBB Arquitetos bureau back in the 2000s, and was implemented in 2012-2017. The opening took place on August 19, 2017, and by January 31, 2018, the center had been visited by almost 1.3 million people. Architects believe that the transformation and development of such large cities as São Paulo (this is the largest city in both the Western and Southern hemispheres of our planet) go primarily through social change.
A renovation project for the former headquarters of the Mesbla department store chain, at the same time complements the historic surroundings and adapts the structure of a multi-storey building for a completely different type of use. From the construction, the frame and free space in the center of each floor, key to the layout of SESC 24 de Maio, were preserved (it was reinforced with four additional supports). The underground garage was slightly deepened and turned into a theater hall with a cafe in the lobby. A solarium with an outdoor pool was installed on the roof.
Other features include an open living room on the fourth level, a dining room on the third and a cafe on the twelfth floor, a library, exhibition spaces, studios, a dental clinic, gyms including a climbing wall, a dance floor, and administrative offices. At the very top, under the pool, there is a dressing room.
The community center responds to the vibrant and vibrant environment around the open ground floor as a free extension of the street. Above, there are also open gentle ramps connecting the tiers to each other and the interior with the urban environment. The architects alternated between closed and open spaces (almost hanging gardens), single and double floors (including a mezzanine level). The technical equipment is collected in a new tower-extension to the entire height of the building: it has occupied a vacant lot nearby. Particular attention was paid to a complex mechanical fire ventilation system: due to the stringent requirements of SNiP, it was only thanks to it that it became possible to arrange an open circulation unit and double-height rooms.
To create a complete image of the building and institution, the architects specially developed furniture design for SESC 24 de Maio: colored sets of chairs, dining and work tables, sofas, counters, as well as a modular system of “stackable” elements.
