The Knowledge of the Seas Pavilion was designed for a plot of land between the Alameda Central and the Doca dos Olivais in the context of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition. At the time, it was known that the building would be reused afer the end of the exhibition, though it was not known what this future use would be. It was also known that the whole surroundings would be urbanised, but the exact outlines of this had not yet been established. From the outset, the idea was to design a building that could act as a counterpoint to what would predictably become a saturated environment. It was configured as a large monolith in white concrete, comprising two volumes: a vertical volume, intended for the pavilion’s vessel reproductions, and a horizontal volume, which would contain four exhibition modules. The access route to the building is ritualised by means of a spiral ramp accompanying the periphery of the courtyard that pierces the suspended horizontal volume, leading the visitor to the main entrance on the upper floor, along a true “architectural promenade”.

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Arquitectura,Carrilho da Graça,Pavilhão do Conhecimento dos Mares,Pavilhão do Conhecimento