SOMOS.arquitectos obtains a fourth position in the competition for a new office building in the ExpoAgua 2008 International Fair, Zaragoza.
This competition gives us a very clear set of initial conditions: the building - an office building for the Expo Zaragoza 2008 and for the Head of the Secretariat of the United Nations for the Water Decade 2005-2015 – is the most visible item of the continuous built front that configures access to the Metropolitan Water Park. As such, it is part of a series of buildings that are considered as homogeneous "objects", sharing the same volume and architectural treatment. We will design an iconic building, able to present itself as a singular element within the surrounding area, but also able to integrate it and be integrated, able to establish a close relation and enhance this leading urban role of the Park.
We respect the L-shaped volume, we lift it from the ground level and make an incision at the base of the upper body to emphasize the connection between the tower and the base. We remove any references to scale and shape that connects this design with a conventional building by superimposing a mapping or "pattern" in order to accentuate the objectual character of the building, while we give it a clear identity.
This skin or "suit" that we propose to "dress" the building is separated from the inner glass layer 1.30 m. It is a hollowed structure made of aluminum cylinders of varying diameter and 30 cm deep, which makes it more or less transparent depending on the point of view and the different densities and sizes of the cylinders. We thus get a vibrant, aqueous volume of undefined scale.
The design of the inner volume is characterized by clarity and spatial economy. The functional diagram is based on the separation between a five-storey tower "attached" to a base. The joint between the two bodies will occur at mezzanine level, while at ground level they remain separated. The "tower" can operate independently from the rest of the building. Inside, we have minimized the surface consumed by fixed elements (core communications, facilities, storage, toilets and lobby) that are attached to the south façade, acting as a climate-control device.
This competition gives us a very clear set of initial conditions: the building - an office building for the Expo Zaragoza 2008 and for the Head of the Secretariat of the United Nations for the Water Decade 2005-2015 – is the most visible item of the continuous built front that configures access to the Metropolitan Water Park. As such, it is part of a series of buildings that are considered as homogeneous "objects", sharing the same volume and architectural treatment. We will design an iconic building, able to present itself as a singular element within the surrounding area, but also able to integrate it and be integrated, able to establish a close relation and enhance this leading urban role of the Park.
We respect the L-shaped volume, we lift it from the ground level and make an incision at the base of the upper body to emphasize the connection between the tower and the base. We remove any references to scale and shape that connects this design with a conventional building by superimposing a mapping or "pattern" in order to accentuate the objectual character of the building, while we give it a clear identity.
This skin or "suit" that we propose to "dress" the building is separated from the inner glass layer 1.30 m. It is a hollowed structure made of aluminum cylinders of varying diameter and 30 cm deep, which makes it more or less transparent depending on the point of view and the different densities and sizes of the cylinders. We thus get a vibrant, aqueous volume of undefined scale.
The design of the inner volume is characterized by clarity and spatial economy. The functional diagram is based on the separation between a five-storey tower "attached" to a base. The joint between the two bodies will occur at mezzanine level, while at ground level they remain separated. The "tower" can operate independently from the rest of the building. Inside, we have minimized the surface consumed by fixed elements (core communications, facilities, storage, toilets and lobby) that are attached to the south façade, acting as a climate-control device.
