Roca Gallery Opens in São Paulo
Roca, the Spanish bathroom manufacturer, expands its international network with the opening of the first Roca Gallery in Latin America located in São Paulo.
Roca is a Barcelona-based company dedicated to the design, manufacturing, and sale of bathroom products for architecture, construction, and interior design. In addition to its extensive range of bathroom furniture and accessories, the sustainably focused brand is deeply engaged with current issues around the environment, urban planning, and water. In 2009, Roca launched the Roca Gallery project as a meeting point for dialogue among those interested in the building sector and innovation in the bathroom space. It is meant to be for professionals in the field as well as interested individuals. The galleries, with locations in Barcelona, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Madrid, Lisbon and now São Paulo, are open to the public and feature rotating exhibitions, debates and events.
Designed by Brazilian architect Fernanda Marques, the 1300 square-metre São Paulo gallery is located on Avenida Brasil, one of the capital’s most iconic avenues. Marques’s design draws inspiration from the natural world, using materials such as wood and foliage for a warm and inviting yet very modern space. The building merges interior with exterior in a very seamless way and it is designed to be an immersive experience for local residents as well as architects and designers. The building’s impressive glass façade, called the ‘Atlantic Forest’, is an impactful element that reflects the lush and tropical landscape around the building, which was designed by Alex Hanazaki. In addition to the architecture, Marques also designed a series of furniture for the space. Her pieces, such as the Serras coffee table and the Infinito Bench, placed in the main hall, prioritize functionality, comfort and the essence of Brazilian national design.
“The invitation to design the Roca São Paulo Gallery was a great honour and imposed a series of responsibilities on me in a very positive way. It meant having the opportunity to leave my mark on a project that invades the urban dimension, combining architecture, design, innovation and sustainability. It was also an opportunity to share my creative vision for a significant space in the city and to contribute to the promotion of knowledge and the meeting of professionals in my field. For all these reasons, it has inspired me to continue striving for excellence in my life and career,” says Fernanda Marques.
São Paulo was selected as the seventh city to host a Roca Gallery for several reasons. Among them, its proximity to the brand’s first factory in Jundai, as well as the city’s importance as a cultural and economic hub not only in Brazil but around the world.
In addition to the physical gallery spaces, the dialogue and engagement of Roca Galleries can be seen online, through its platform that features articles about design, architecture and urban planning by scholars, architects and other design professionals.
@roca_global
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