The abstract design of this pharmacy by José Carlos Cruz is anchored in the absence of external references and the wish to ‘clean up’ the typical drugstore model.
The Pharmacy is located in Vila Real, in the centre north of Portugal and is part of a peripheral zone of the city where the environment does not have a consolidated and uniform image. In the absence of external references, it was chosen to create a building with an abstract and neutral character, reinforced by the absence of openings. With oval shape footprint, the two floors are fully aluminium coated corrugated and perforated.
The only direct opening to the outside is the main entrance that gives access to the sales area. By changing the interior light and the symbol of pharmacy, the building gains dynamic, allowing the image variation from day to night. The store not only sells medicines but also has its own laboratory for compounding pharmacy.
