Instituto Moreira Salles by Andrade Morettin, 2017

From the avenue, an escalator leads up into the core of this vertical cultural centre, which includes exhibition spaces, a library and a cinema-auditorium. What would usually occupy the ground level has been elevated to the fourth floor, the reception, café and bookstore paved in the distinctive cobblestones of the pavement visible below. The detailing and execution stand out in comparison to much Brazilian civil construction today, yet what is most eloquent in this project is its glass facade. Glass-skinned towers are common on Avenida Paulista, but the IMS is unique, achieving what Colin Rowe and Robert Slutzky called ‘phenomenal transparency’. For those inside, there is no definition of the city’s silhouettes, except for its incessant movement of car headlights, traffic signs and neighbouring offices. The urban noise remains. Those outside see the shadows of people inside the building. As the hours of the day pass, the glass becomes more or less reflective, and at night, IMS becomes a lantern.