This Project is the result of an international bid to
construct of the head-office for the Andalusian Agency for Aeronautics and a
business centre related to the aeronautic industry, and has been selected to
compete at the Spanish Architecture Awards in 2009.
This Project aims to adapt a universal architectural
style, that of the office building, to the particular characteristics of our
environmental and cultural surroundings, reinterpreting historical qualities of
Andalusian style constructions.
The relation between the architecture of the building and
location has serious limitations as the building is located in a technological
park with a strong industrial presence, far from urban centres, and with the
absence of public spaces or other building of interest nearby.
The project plays off two themes. On one hand, it creates
representative spaces on the inside such as squares, internal paths between
buildings, pedestrian areas with gardens that will interweave when the ensemble
of buildings will be finished, spaces with sun and shade, close to vegetation
and water which allow users to rest and meet. On the other hand, the building
on the outside demonstrates the impulse to create environmentally friendly
conditions.
The project is defined by an ensemble of buildings
connected by an internal covered street, designed in a similar way to
some streets in central Seville, where sail-shaped canapees cover the streets
in the summer, converting them into new spaces, big open-air saloons protected
from the sun.
In essence, we are talking about two parallel building
wings, with an internal corridor and office modules on both sides, forming a
wide lobby crossed by bridges in different locations at different heights. This
contributes to the creation of different spaces along the way. These bridges
are occupied by multipurpose rooms that serve either wings of the building.
The first, second and third floor are open spaces
conceived in a modular way, with mobile walls that allow the creation of
different size rooms on demand.
The main lobby has big glass windows that allows the
entrance of natural light to public areas and gives a general view of the
inside from the entrance, as the different spaces are interconnected around the
lobby.
It is a space capable of hosting different activities such
as mass presentations or exhibitions.
On the ground floor services such as reception, canteen,
shops, an auditorium or training rooms promote socialising.
The position of the patio, close to this lobby, allows
natural light and ventilation, thanks to the daily automated opening of the
glass walls. It is also an easy way of obtaining a simple heat control.
Many aspects in this building have been inspired by the
local Andalusian culture: the lateral access to the building, a certain opaque
tint from the outside, the presence of the patio, the control of the solar
light, the use of natural ventilation and light, and the creation of
transitional spaces between the inside and the outside.
It is a building thought and built in our times but
embracing essential characteristics of the architecture of Seville.