Most people don’t know that much of the internet's intelligence today has been developed in Brazil, more specifically, at Google Belo Horizonte’s Engineering Center, the only of its kind in Latin America. Their headquarters has over 5,000 square meters, spread over four floors. Our challenge was, working closely with the architects, to identify strong conceptual references that would connect the global company to Minas Gerais state’s values. The interior design integrates environmental graphics, signage and wayfinding, exploring the tension between Google technology culture (codes and clouds) and local culture (traditions and landscape), in a subtle and sophisticated approach.
Click on the link to check the project in Google Street View.
Supersized infographics made with parametric design and meteorology data were applied in the workspaces — in a nod to cloud computing.
Beyond aesthetics, the patterns showcase real weather data (humidity, precipitation, wind, atmospheric pressure), while providing transparency and privacy to meeting rooms.
The color palette shifts from cold (workspaces) to warm (communal facilities), referring to meteorology and working as an intuitive wayfinding signifier.
In common areas, materials refer to local landscape and culture: earth tones, tactile textures, wickerworks, wefts and trusses.
Local biome’s vegetation was cloned in vitro and used as indoor landscape, with the ability to indicate air quality’s subtle variations.
Contemporary artist Máximo Soalheiro was invited to create an art installation that pays homage to Minas Gerais’s cuisine and landscape. 2,116 bowls with local minerals were assembled as a large periodic table named “Mineral Spices”.
Architecture: BCMF Arquitetos, MACh Arquitetos | Lighting Design: Atiaîa and LD Studio
Special collaboration: SUBdV, Máximo Soalheiro and Luis Gluck
Design Studio: Hardy | Creative Director: Mariana Hardy
Designers: André Coelho, Anna Fonseca, Délio Faleiro | Belo Horizonte, 2015–2016