Carmo Coffees Headquarters / Gustavo Penna Architect And Associates

Architects: Gustavo Penna Architect and Associates
Area: 11511 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Leonardo Finotti, Txai Ilg
Manufacturers: Art Versátil, Miaki, Prodomo, Vidraçaria Bom Pastor
Lead Architect: Gustavo Penna
Architects: Gustavo Penna, Norberto Bambozzi, Laura Penna, Letícia Carneiro, Oded Stahl, Caio Vieira, Alice Leite Flores, Fernanda Tolentino, Henrique Neves, Bárbara Novais, Ada Penna, Larissa Freire, Gabriel de Souza, Larissa Freire, Sávio de Oliveira, Felipe Franco, Mariana Carvalho, Rafaela Rennó, Manoel Belisario, Raquel de Resende, Eduardo Magalhäes, Julia Lins
Interns: André Silva, Bernardo Alves, Lucas Moreira, Gustavo Monteiro, João Prado
Interior Design: GPA&A
Lighting Project: Acropoluz
Electrical Design: TecServ
Structural Design: MR Construtora
Construction: MR Construtora
Director: Director
Visual Identity: GSB2
Marketing: Diana Penna
City: Três Corações
Country: Brazil

Carmo Coffees Headquarters by Gustavo Penna Architect and Associates celebrates Brazil’s coffee heritage and Carmo Coffees’ dedication to quality. Located in Minas Gerais along the BR-381 highway, its bold horizontal form features a concave, translucent centerpiece symbolizing roasted coffee and global movement. A skylight-like opening brings natural light by day and glows at night, reflecting love and care for the craft. Visitors enter through a perforated metal portal, exploring displays on coffee production, regional maps, and tributes to farms. A museographic tunnel leads to the warehouse, while administrative spaces surround an open patio. The design uses simple, durable elements to honor coffee’s legacy and journey.

Carmo coffees headquarters / gustavo penna architect and associates

History, vocation, work, and faith come together in the story of coffee. Originating from the distant lands of Abyssinia, coffee found its ideal home in Brazil. Minas Gerais, now the country’s leading coffee-producing region, intertwined its legacy of gold with coffee cultivation. Carmo Coffees, established in Carmo de Minas, operates on the belief that quality stems from respect and meticulous care throughout the entire production chain. Through genuine partnerships with coffee producers, it achieves excellence. Transparency and ethical practices elevate the final product into a treasure with profound human value. This deeply valued philosophy calls for a grand and enduring space—one that embodies generosity, presence, and symbolism.

Situated in a strategic location along the edge of the BR-381 highway, the site demands a striking and distinctive form. The rapid visibility from the highway inspired a strong horizontal design, emphasizing clarity and strength. This foundation carries a symbolic feature: a concave, translucent indentation in the rich color of roasted coffee, serving as an homage to the essence of the project.

The design evokes the sense of motion, symbolizing coffee’s journey to every corner of the globe. This is expressed through the re-entrant form, open at the top like a skylight, welcoming sunlight by day and emanating inner light by night. The intention is to reflect a deep appreciation for the work behind coffee, encompassing dedication, care, knowledge, cooperation, solidarity, and companionship. Coffee, as a symbol, brings people together, encouraging moments of connection, sharing, and pause. The resulting atmosphere is intentionally solemn, capturing the essence of these qualities and affirming the significance of the commitment to coffee’s exceptional quality.

Visitors enter through a portal crafted from perforated sheet metal resembling harvest grains, stepping onto a ground map of the coffee-producing region. To the right, coffee is displayed as a gem, showcasing its various processing stages. Above, the names of the farms and producers—acknowledged as the true heroes—are prominently featured. In the background, a sublimated translucent coffee bean serves as the most symbolic and evocative representation of this ritualistic space.

From that point, visitors ascend and walk through the shadowed path of a museographic tunnel, experiencing a journey that narrates the story of coffee and leads to a large warehouse, visible from above. Below, in the microlot area, one can pause to admire the coffee processing. The second floor houses the administrative spaces, thoughtfully arranged around a spacious uncovered patio that introduces natural light and fosters a relaxing atmosphere.

The project establishes a thought-provoking narrative, composed of impactful moments and minimal yet expressive elements that leave a lasting and genuine impression. It incorporates authentic, straightforward values—enduring yet continuously evolving.