Located in Grândola, a small municipality in the district of Setúbal, this daytime civic center for the elderly is part of the social services network of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia: a Portuguese institution founded in the 15th century, and that provides treatment and support for the ill and the disabled.

The volume of the mass is defined by the urban context in its distances, alignments, proportions, and scale of the adjacent buildings. The first project decision was to occupy the entire plot, so it is filled by a white monolith carved with deep voids that frame the accesses and let natural light inside. However, the volumetric simplicity of the exterior creates a contrast with the complexity of the interior: a large space with a square-shaped floor plan, totally clear and reconfigurable with mobile partitions and funelled ceiling skylights. Functional flexibility is achieved by relegating the mass to the peripheral wall, containing auxiliary functions such as meeting rooms, storage areas, and restrooms that complete the program’s needs. In this way, the center can adapt its rooms flexibly for large meetings, as well as for smaller gatherings... [+]