Facade cladding for a shopping center in Porto Alegre
Shopping Bourbon Carlos Gomes, located in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), is a prominent mixed-use development that combines retail space with a corporate tower, establishing itself as a new landmark along one of the city’s main urban corridors.
The complex offers more than 12,000 m² of retail space and stands out for its contemporary, sophisticated architecture. The design is defined by a composition of overlapping volumes across different planes, creating a dynamic building envelope.
The challenge: unifying a complex architectural design
One of the project’s main challenges was achieving a consistent aesthetic across a facade composed of offset volumes and changing planes.
The architecture required a cladding solution capable of adapting to this complexity without losing visual continuity, maintaining consistency across tones, joints, and finishes throughout both the interior and exterior of the building.
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The solution: precision and tailored adaptation
To address this challenge, a facade system using ULMA’s STONEO panels with a PURE slate texture was developed.
Installed surfaces included:
- More than 4,000 m² on the exterior facade (color P14)
- 780 m² in interior areas (color P31)
The project required a detailed modulation study to ensure consistent joint alignment across the entire facade. To achieve this, a custom panel layout was developed, tailored to the movement of the architectural volumes.
During installation, the use of custom-cut panels was key to ensuring system precision and meeting the design requirements, resulting in a clean, cohesive, and high-quality finish.
Visual continuity and technical performance
The STONEO panel cladding extends across all the building’s volumes, creating a strong sense of visual unity and reinforcing the overall architectural identity.
Beyond its aesthetic value, the facade cladding solution provides significant functional benefits:
- High technical and aesthetic durability
- Low maintenance requirements
- Improved energy efficiency, helping improve the building’s thermal performance and reduce cooling demand
End-to-end support at every stage
Another key factor in the project’s success was the ongoing support provided by ULMA’s Architecture Office throughout the entire process, from design through installation and post-installation support.
This continuous technical and commercial support made it possible to tailor the solution to the project’s specific requirements, ensuring efficiency, precision, and quality at every stage.
In addition to the facade system, Shopping Bourbon Carlos Gomes also integrates ULMA drainage solutions.
Technical data sheet:
- Project: Shopping Bourbon Carlos Gomes
- Location: Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Architect: Arthur Casas
- Engineering: Companhia Zaffari and Macro Engenharia
- Contractor: Macro Engenharia
- System: Facade cladding
- Colors:
- Exterior: P14 (PURE slate texture)
- Interior: P31 (PURE slate texture)
- Installed surface area:
- Exterior: ~4,000 m²
- Interior: 780 m²
- Installation timeframe:
- Exterior: 6 months
- Interior: 2 months
