Carolina Penna Arquitetos designed the Dr. Zilda Arns Training Center for Education Professionals in São Paulo, Brazil.

Built in Caetano do Sul, Brazil, with the purpose of qualifying educators and promoting discussions about education. It is a space of collective use where there are studies, dialogues, meetings and debates among teachers, students, parents, citizens. The spaces are big, there is a lot of light, transparencies. The architect, Carolina Penna, chose to separate the activities of the institution (didactic and events) in two buildings, which respected in its implantation the varieties of trees that already existed in the ground – some located in the external area adorning a discreet public square; others are in the inner courtyard and serve as shading area for the place. Some elements, such as the ramp that counterbalances the unevenness of the floor, the mezzanine and uneven holes in the walls, complement the elegance and softness of the new Center. The Carolina Penna project received the award for Best Institutional Building – ASBEA and was selected for the Ibero-American Biennial in Cadiz.

Architect: Carolina Penna Arquitetos
Photography: Nelson Kon