Nestl chocolate factory

METRO ARQUITETOS ASSOCIADOS

Metro Arquitetos Associados Nestl chocolate factory
Leonardo Finotti . Published on September 08, 2014.

The main intention of the design for Nestle factorys visiting areas was to create a landmark in the
generic landscape of the highway that connects So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, revealing the existence of
a public and accessible space. This visibility is achieved by the installation of two steel framed glass
towers, which are connected to bridges that roads and wraps the existing building, granting access to
the elevated walkway inside the factory. This way, visitors and services traffic are kept away from each
other. The structural geometry and the materials used were designed as to trigger a sensorial and
perceptive experience and to contribute to the comprehension of the information about the history and
production of the chocolate throughout the visitation. This work is an intervention inside the existing
Nestl chocolate factory. Built in the 60s, it was designed to receive the public, but in a very precarious
way and without any museological attribute.

Metro Arquitetos Associados Nestl chocolate factory

Leonardo Finotti . Published on September 08, 2014.

The design solved the major issue witch was the organization of visitors and production flux,
transforming the simple visitation circuit in a museum with interactive content and that also adds a
strong character to a building which was, until then, ordinary. Two external towers and footbridges were
created. Each tower houses stairs and an elevator and the shortest bridge serves for the entrance, and a
longest one, for the exit, both parallel to the highway.

Metro Arquitetos Associados Nestl chocolate factory

Leonardo Finotti . Published on September 08, 2014.

The steel structure of the towers and footbridges is made up by tubular pieces, making up also for the
support for the glass and expanded metal sheet panels. The floors made up of perforated metal sheet
contribute to the natural ventilation and draining; the roofs are made of a steel panel with an EPS core
to improve its thermo-acoustic perfomance. The structure is made up of non-coplanar triangular meshes
2.5m high and which repeat every 10m. That shape, besides making the structure more rigid and more
slender, makes the glasses reflect different parts of the landscape. Footbridge I, supported by metalic
columns and beams with varying sections, has 10m spans between the supports and a 27.5m span

between the last column and the tower. Footbridge II has 15m spans and a 5m cantilever to the
building.

Metro Arquitetos Associados Nestl chocolate factory

Leonardo Finotti . Published on September 08, 2014.

Inside the circuit, 10 thematic cores were designed, based on the production of the factory, from the
raw materials, going through the different stages of production until the final packaging phase. Circular
windows were opened in strategic spots. Each core has specific colours and materials, as well as
soundtracks and scenography