[ ATLAS ]

> MANUEL BOUZAS
> FONTAINHAS 

In the Fontainhas square [Praça das Fontainhas], nestled between stone walls and vegetation, still remains a space from the former estate that existed before the area was urbanised in the 1980s. Known as the Fountain of the Atlas [Fonte do Atlas] or Fountain of the World [Fonte do Mundo], this space never had a roof, but its configuration — with two stairway entrances on either side, a fountain at one end and a false façade at the other, facing a tank — suggests a forgotten use or an unfinished gesture. The proposal by Galician architect Manuel Bouzas does not resolve this ambiguity: it inhabits it.

Two long beams of reused steel rest atop the side walls, leaving space for natural light to enter. A third beam, placed transversely at one end, is supported by V-shaped tubular columns anchored to a stone set inside the existing tank. Resting on this structure is a wooden dome built using the Lamella system: a curved grid method developed in the 1920s by German engineer Friedrich Zollinger. Composed of diagonal slats arranged in a diamond pattern, the system enables the creation of lightweight, self-supporting, and modular surfaces that promote structural efficiency.

This structure does not cover the fountain. Instead, it hovers above it, activating multiple possibilities of use within it: a place for pause, for conversation, for gathering, or for imagination in the intimate cosmos of the Fontainhas neighbourhood.

Manuel Bouzas (Pontevedra, 1993) is an architect, researcher, and lecturer. He leads the practice MB-AE, based between Galicia and the United States, which explores the intersection between architecture and ecology through urban installations, research, and curatorship. He is currently a Teaching Fellow at Cornell University and curator of the Spanish Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale with the project Internalities. Bouzas holds a master’s degree in architecture from ETSAM (UPMadrid) and in Design Studies from Harvard GSD, where he has also taught. His research focuses on the relationship between construction materials and the landscapes from which they are extracted. His work has been distinguished with the 2025 Princess of Girona Arts Award, the Renzo Piano World Tour Award, the La Caixa Fellowship, and the COAM Prize, and presented in several international biennales.

INSTALLATION TECHNICAL 
CREDITS 

ARCHITECTURE
Manuel Bouzas 

ENGINEERING
Juan De la Torre 

COLLABORATION
Architecture students at Cornell University
Riley Wines 
Varun Gandhi 

PRODUCTION AND ASSEMBLY
Artworks 

MATERIAL SUPPORT
Artworks
Cornell University
FINSA
Xilonor

SUPPORT
Municipality of Braga