Designing a disco is frightening, it may be perverse. The demands of the public and the client's objective can be very different from what I believe in architecture.
Keywords: fun; vanity; excesses; fantasy …and representation searching for legitimacy.
Maybe as Loos said, austerity and crime can coexist, depending on the critical state of conscience about the facts (I checked it).
The Cinema Olympia was opened in 1912, with the newspapers announcing "model, elegant and luxurious facilities”. Over its 100 years of existence, it has served various purposes and now only the original façade remains. When we started the project, we were confronted with an anonymous interior with no heritage value.
Changing the building into a disco did not call into question what was left of the heritage of the old days. We restored the facade, eliminated the adulterations and adapted the inside to the technical requirements of its new purpose.
The building has three floors: two above ground level and one below. The ground floor and the first floor are open to the public. The ground floor is dedicated to the dining area and later dancing. The first floor is used by the management, for private clubbing and events.
A shell of steel sheet grooved by RGB programmed lighting covers the acoustic materials covering the external walls. The thickness of the iron sheeting helps to absorb the sound – it helped, Loos! A flower is depicted on the different ceilings in different forms. The exterior doors were padded. The façade, which was relatively well conserved, was cleaned with some repairs to the plaster and painting. With Rua Passos Manuel as a benchmark, we opted to use a range of light greys, which suited this urban landscape, giving the Olympia its singularity back and distinguishing it from the ochre tones that blended in with the Coliseu.