São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand at the business fair APAS Show has a fresh look. With elements from the Arab culture, such as arabesques, oriel windows, and porches, as well as transparent wooden and glass panels, the project was based on the appearance of the Saudi university Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in Riyadh.
The 102-square-meter space was conceived based on a visual survey made by the agency Wiyn Comunicação e Design, which worked on the project together with the Arab Brazilian Chamber last year. “I was searching for visual references of the Arab world when I stumbled on images of this Saudi university,” said the agency partner director Aldo Capucci Filho.
The briefing Capucci received was that the stand should exalt references to the Arab architecture, as well as having dimensions more visible for visitors. “The idea was to bring more transparence and lightness, and that people could see what is inside the stand,” says Capucci, who designed the croquis and gave the mission to realize the project to the architect André Macedo Corrêa of the Archt office.
“Our directions were to make a scenography that referred to the Arab culture, with typical elements such as oriel windows, a geometrical arabesque very present in the Arab countries,” told Corrêa. The mosaics were laser-cut from wood, providing lightness, transparency and more visibility to the space. An oriel window is a wooden lattice aimed to ventilate and illuminate spaces, both protecting and providing a shaded effect. In the traditional Arab architecture, an oriel window is a wooden lattice that allows someone inside a building to see those on the street, but those outside can’t see inside.
According to Corrêa, the design is clean, all white with caramel-toned wood. The internal area features glass and wood arabesques, including meeting tables, a counter for coffee and a mirror for added dimension. The outer area includes glass showcases, totems for the exhibitors and tall seats. The main door is a portico with a typical Arab arc. The roof features a white backlit strip.
This was Corrêa’s first project for the Arab Chamber. “The Apas Show is the most important expo of the first half of the year for us. It has this aesthetic concern, it’s a very beautiful exhibition, the design is really carefully done,” said the architect, who designed 16 stands for the show this year.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber stand at Anufood, which had its first edition in March, was based on the design create for Apas. “We came up with the concept for Apas, and for Anufood we used a similar design, a derivation with different dimensions,” explained Capucci.
Arab Brazilian Chamber president Rubens Hannun discussed the importance of having a visual impact on fairgoers. “The aesthetics in themselves convey a message of Arab culture and beckons people to visit us. This is in line with the Arab Brazilian Chamber’s mission of connecting Brazilians and Arabs to bring about economic, cultural and social development.”
The project is running for the Popai Award for Best International Stand. Winners will be announced on May 8, the last day of the Apas Show. Should it win, it will be the second accolade earned by the Chamber during the event – in 2017 it won the Deals Enabled award in the Large Stand category.
Quick facts
Apas Show 2019
May 6-8, 2pm-10pm
May 9, 1pm-7pm
Expo Center Norte
Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333, Vila Guilherme
São Paulo
Translated by Guilherme Miranda & Gabriel Pomerancblum
