Dengo Chocolates

The front garden is connected to the street through a walkway crossing, which expands the sidewalk. The volume is filled with hollow wooden cubes that both verticalize the building and convey the idea of permeability and movement, made possible through some strategic subtractions at different spots on the façade.

The flooring brings back the red ceramic "caquinhos" tradition (broken shards), typical of São Paulo residences from the 1940s and 1950s. They were found in “tile cemeteries” and were used to create the ambience. Besides paying homage to the city, it also refers to the famous “quebra-quebra” brand product: chocolate boards inside glass niches that are broken into as many pieces as the customer ordered.

The project was built with engineered wood CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) — certified wood panels that, after factory production, are ready for construction on-site.

The architecture sought to recreate a chocolate factory in both an attractive and a didactic way, so it could highlight Dengo's differential: the company controls every stage of the production process, which is also known as the “bean to bar” process. Original restored machinery from the 1940s is displayed on the ground floor to show the refining of the chocolate.

The mill is supplied by beans that arrive through transparent ducts and pass through a central atrium, creating enchantment and enriching the public's imagination by expanding its frame of reference on the manufacturing of chocolate.

The exposed wood structure and the vegetation composition contribute to a feeling of comfort and liveliness. Transparencies and openings, as well as earthy tones, natural lighting, and ventilation and wooden surfaces accentuate these characteristics.

On the first floor, at Meu Dengo station, customers are able to watch while personalized items are made for them.

The first and second floors offer tables and benches to accommodate visitors. The floors also have transparencies and side openings, which contribute to a connection between levels and establish a visual relation from inside to outside.

(Hover over a photo in the gallery above to read more details in the captions, or click on a photo to expand and open the full-size images.)

The firm Matheus Farah e Manoel Maia Arquitetura is responsible for the first and tallest wooden building in Brazil, located at Avenida Faria Lima in São Paulo. Designed to host the concept store of the premium chocolate brand Dengo, the building has four floors and was entirely structured in wood (a major feat for the Brazilian architecture and construction industry).

“We seek to create a space where the rustic, irreverent, authentic and handmade were highlighted, based on a contemporary reinterpretation of the use of natural elements and the very concept of Brazilianness,” said Matheus Farah in a statement.