Nossa Senhora de Fátima’s fish stall
There is nothing more suggestive for the renovation of Nossa Senhora de Fátima’s fish stall than the structure of the Pinheiros market itself. The fish market should be imagined as a metonymy of the market, not as one box among many. The fish market is the entire market. I mentioned to Alexandre, my client, that in this case, the architect’s work is analogous to that of the fishmonger, a job of cleaning, of removing the superfluous. The project’s challenge is to reconcile current demands with the original power of the building conceived by Eurico Prado Lopes and Luiz Telles, a “monument in homage to Dorival Caymmi” in the words of Fabrício Corsaletti.
Pinheiros, São Paulo, 2022
There is nothing more suggestive for the renovation of Nossa Senhora de Fátima’s fish stall than the structure of the Pinheiros market itself. The fish market should be imagined as a metonymy of the market, not as one box among many. The fish market is the entire market. I mentioned to Alexandre, my client, that in this case, the architect’s work is analogous to that of the fishmonger, a job of cleaning, of removing the superfluous. The project’s challenge is to reconcile current demands with the original power of the building conceived by Eurico Prado Lopes and Luiz Telles, a “monument in homage to Dorival Caymmi” in the words of Fabrício Corsaletti.
To restore the continuity of the market’s roof and enable the removal of the ceiling, we designed a suspended piece at half-height that houses the rolling doors, the lighting system, and the visual communication. The letters, made in metalwork, will be backlit and arranged against the white background of the suspended piece. The navy blue paint resonates with the Portuguese tiles that give identity to Nossa Senhora de Fátima’s fish stall. The position of the piece was studied to be visible in different areas of the market and so as not to obstruct the mirror that allows customers to watch the fish cleaning.
The customers of Nossa Senhora de Fátima’s fish stall are quite loyal. What the fish market actually sells, its differentiator, is freshness; so much so that it is common for customers to ask the fishmongers to open some oysters while waiting for the cleaning and packaging of their orders. To attract new customers and embrace the custom of the clientele, we envisioned the oyster bar in a strategic location, near one of the entrances and the arrival of the internal staircase of the market. The curved design of the counter in the shape of a fishhook dialogues with the original architecture of the market, as does the terrazzo covering that will be applied to the floor and the bar. Instead of traditional pebbles, the fish market’s terrazzo will be mixed with the shards of mussels and oysters served by the establishment.