Retail Center and Public Square in Atins

ATINS – MARANHÃO

New Centrality in Atins

The retail center and square were designed as a central public space for the village, featuring diverse uses, including social areas, shops, bars, restaurants, event spaces, and services. The high-turnover commercial spaces are positioned along the main façade, while the more permanent spaces, such as restaurants, bars, and public social areas, are located internally.

The project is located in Atins, a small village in the Municipality of Barreirinhas, situated in an area of great environmental sensitivity, between the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, the Preguiças River delta, and the Atlantic Ocean. The village is characterized by its sandy streets, vernacular architecture, traditional fishing, and tourism.

The distribution of uses on the site took into account its environmental conditions, such as the presence of vegetation and wetland areas. The result was the creation of internal courtyards and social spaces that connect the proposed uses.

Respecting the environmental and social context of the village, the project proposes a reinterpretation of the local vernacular architecture, using materials such as carnauba straw and wood. This approach combines traditional elements of local architecture with new principles such as modularity and prefabrication, along with a contemporary language.

The project adopts a prefabricated minimal module (3.5×3.5m), which can be grouped according to usage demand, facilitating project phasing and expansion. The modules are connected by suspended walkways, minimizing impact on the natural terrain.

Each minimal module features a suspended engineered wood structure above the ground, wooden panel cladding, and a carnauba straw roof.

In response to climate change and the need to reduce the impact of construction, we employ a low-tech approach, incorporating traditional, low-impact technologies and passive strategies that respect Atins’ geographic and bioclimatic conditions.