Marina Rosa

The Piolin Circus School is an initiative of São Paulo’s City Government directed to children and teenager’s development through educational and artistic activities. The architectural program comprises two main functions – a Venue for Spectacles and the School building, with its classrooms, workshops and administrative offices. The access for the Spectacle area is located by the Paissandu Plaza, a busy hub in downtown Sao Paulo. At its the center, the arena is the heart of the design. This space follows the vernacular features that define the circus typology: the ring surrounded by ascending seating and covered by a tensile structure. The School building, with its access from the opposite side of the site, is positioned immediately behind the arena and connected to it by a rehearsal atrium. The concrete, sharp volume of the School contrasts with the expressive and light structure of the Spectacles Venue, reinforcing its visual impact.