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Archivo de la etiqueta: OAB
Colonial Viladoms Houses / OAB
Architects: OAB - Office of Architecture in Barcelona
Location: Castellbell i el Vilar, Spain
Design Team: Carlos Ferrater, Nuria Ayala
Technical Architect: Alexandre Pararols
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Alejo Bague
Project Area: 770,48 sqm
Budget: € 504,079
On behalf of the ONG (Catalana de l’Esplai foundation) we are working on several projects of colonial houses in different areas of the Catalan geography: Castellbell i el Vilar, Navés, Sant Joan de les Abadesses,… with the criteria of sustainability, durability , adaptability and austerity that characterize the buildings we have done for them. The main assumptions that were taken into account when thinking about the new place were:
* An economically sustainable proyect. The cost could not exceed 450 € / m² constructed including urbanization
* Multifunctional project. With a background of over 25 years managing Nature Schools, the Foundation determines that the viability of the equipment must have great versatility. Aspects such as the capacity of the rooms, the distribution, the toilets, the versatility of the activity rooms, accessibility in all areas …
* Environmentally friendly project. As part of the educational project of the Foundation, and with the experience gained in a building, like ESPLAI CENTRE, the construction of this new Natura School should count on energy saving systems.
In the first of the embodiments the proposal tries not to exceed the gauge of the existing buildings, as some barracks shaped in “L” in a very precarious state of health and hygiene.
The new facility consists of three very different areas: Building of services, Natura Classrooms and bedroom area. The service building, which houses the dining room, the kitchen, the store, and a reception area. The dining room will have a capacity of nearly 100 people and will be located in one room, where different groups staying at the shelter will find a meeting place. In the building next to the dining room will be the three Natura classrooms, with a capacity for 30 people each.
The project aims for a system of units, in which the ratio of usable area and constructed area increases, since communications between them occur from outer space. This modular arrangement allows, for example, the accommodation of different groups within the same facility and that they can have some level of privacy.
The volumetric fragmentation into small autonomous units allows scale the number of users and minimize the cost of maintenance and surveillance, as well as to configure a system with the whole colony.
This project is proposed as a reference, archetype and image of the imaginary world of childhood: small houses, village, relationship with the forest, the roads, which in the future would allow easy extension or expansion of the system itself.
We propose three different room types, with groups of 4, 6 or 8 children with the opportunity to develop them as a level or two. The simplicity of the used materials has allowed great savings. In the interiors, painted concrete block, polished concrete floors, windows 20 cm wide, inserted in matte stainless steel frame 2 mm thick, with a porch of DM built to darken the interior. The location of windows, allows seamless cross ventilation, regardless of the prevailing wind.
For the exterior, the unity in the material: facades and roofs, respond to Parex Coteterm system, a flexible and self-cleaning stucco that allows continuous isolation and waterproof treatment around the perimeter. The external paths are differentiated into two types of pavements: textured concrete planks for pedestrian and scraping concrete.
Given the project’s final solution, the range of users will be extended, since not only will accommodate the colonies and summer camps for schoolchildren, but also families and groups will be able to use the place.
Colonial Viladoms Houses / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 03 Dec 2012.
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Evangelical Temple in Terrassa / OAB
Architects: OAB
Location: Terrassa, Spain
Project Architects: Carlos Ferrater y Lucía Ferrater
Technical Architect: Enric Betlinski
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Alejo Bagué
Project Area: 2,792 sqm
Collaborators : Emiliano Scotti
After twelve years of searching for a place, the United Evangelical Church of Terrassa, a century-old institution in the city, finds its place in the neighborhood of Can Tusell Avenue fronting the Béjar Avenue; a major access road to the city which communicates with the industrial area.
The building, which occupies one third of the place with access from the Béjar Avenue, celebrates cult every Sunday morning with social purposes. This is possible due to an agreement with the City.
The height of the temple decreases because of the slope, formed by coating steel strips on which are suspended two bodies. In a central position, stands a bucket coated with a new material of recycled aluminum. The other body, that is lower in height and closer to Tramuntana Street, is suspended and exits as cantilever. In this case, the edges frame some aluminum walls which act as bride soleil for a child care program. The Béjar Avenue facade is presented as a tight, rigorous and continuous wall which hides its access. The two side walls show their kindest face where vegetation hides a fence, which acts as the second front so that all perimeter spaces enjoy light and ventilation as well as privacy and security.
Since the nursery is accessed by a higher and separated level, the functional program both religious and social, is developed mostly in the ground floor plan except for a mezzanine suspended above twice the space of the worship room. A reception area leads and distributes the administration area and a corridor that provides access to twelve classrooms. In front of the classrooms is located the worship room. It has a system of movable partitions that establishes a direct relationship with the adjacent spaces, which in turn relate to the outside through patios.
While the inside compositional criteria meets the functional criteria, the exterior one respond to the situation, guidance and above all the desire to be a discreet building from close range, and at the same time be a benchmark of evangelical worship from a farther distance.
Evangelical Temple in Terrassa / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Nov 2012.
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Evangelical Temple in Terrassa / OAB
Architects: OAB
Location: Terrassa, Spain
Project Architects: Carlos Ferrater y Lucía Ferrater
Technical Architect: Enric Betlinski
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Alejo Bagué
Project Area: 2,792 sqm
Collaborators : Emiliano Scotti
After twelve years of searching for a place, the United Evangelical Church of Terrassa, a century-old institution in the city, finds its place in the neighborhood of Can Tusell Avenue fronting the Béjar Avenue; a major access road to the city which communicates with the industrial area.
The building, which occupies one third of the place with access from the Béjar Avenue, celebrates cult every Sunday morning with social purposes. This is possible due to an agreement with the City.
The height of the temple decreases because of the slope, formed by coating steel strips on which are suspended two bodies. In a central position, stands a bucket coated with a new material of recycled aluminum. The other body, that is lower in height and closer to Tramuntana Street, is suspended and exits as cantilever. In this case, the edges frame some aluminum walls which act as bride soleil for a child care program. The Béjar Avenue facade is presented as a tight, rigorous and continuous wall which hides its access. The two side walls show their kindest face where vegetation hides a fence, which acts as the second front so that all perimeter spaces enjoy light and ventilation as well as privacy and security.
Since the nursery is accessed by a higher and separated level, the functional program both religious and social, is developed mostly in the ground floor plan except for a mezzanine suspended above twice the space of the worship room. A reception area leads and distributes the administration area and a corridor that provides access to twelve classrooms. In front of the classrooms is located the worship room. It has a system of movable partitions that establishes a direct relationship with the adjacent spaces, which in turn relate to the outside through patios.
While the inside compositional criteria meets the functional criteria, the exterior one respond to the situation, guidance and above all the desire to be a discreet building from close range, and at the same time be a benchmark of evangelical worship from a farther distance.
Evangelical Temple in Terrassa / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Nov 2012.
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Gisa & FGC / OAB
Architects: OAB
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Design Team: Carlos Ferrater, Núria Ayala
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Alejo Bagué
Collaboration: AT3 S.C.P.
Structure: Jordi Bernuz
In one of the main entrances to Barcelona, integrated within the operation of covering over the FGC train tracks and the conversion of its former workshops, there appears a rectangular block resulting from the intersection of the urban weaves of the barrios of Sarriá and Tres Torres with Vía Augusta, thus generating a huge public space that will function as a hinge to resolve the height difference existing between the two barrios.
Emerging at the intersection of Vía Augusta with Calle Vergós and Calle Cardenal de Sentmenat is the group of buildings of the corporate headquarters of GISA and FGC, which notwithstanding the restrictiveness of the planning of the specific, pronounced volumetry stem from a work of urban integration, conferring on them a character typical of institutional buildings, a character at once emblematic, welcoming and functional.
The functional program of the two buildings is resolved by means of diaphanous floors giving onto the public space between them and of offices in the outer perimeters. The facade modulation is highly refined in order to give flexibility and versatility to the interior distribution.
A detailed plan with highly exacting constructional solutions resolves the exterior skin as a whole with a single module of extruded, anodized aluminum.
Gisa & FGC / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Sep 2012.
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BF House / OAB + ADI
Architects: OAB + ADI
Location: Borriol, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
Design Team: Carlos Ferrater, Xavier Martí, Carlos Escura, Carlos Martín
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Joan Guillamat
This home is on a plot of 3,000sqm with a height of 25m, in a Castellón neighborhood that is only 50% constructed. Looking at the plot, we see that it reflectsits seventeenth century history, which is when overpopulation forced the cultivation of all types of terrain, including those that are very steep, through a system of small terraces with walls made of local rock. The later abandonment allowed the growth of trees, mainly pine and carob. Our position towards the plot was that of absolute respect, so the construction method should also respect the land, thus us opting for a prefabricated building system that is deposited on the land practically without touching it, without cutting down trees, and taking advantage of existing terrace/garden areas, which were rebuilt in the damaged areas, with the same stone and same technique. Part of the house – garage and auxiliary areas – is buried, allowing us to re-introduce native vegetation on the natural terrain. This also allows the plot to be accessedon the upper levelby forklift from a ramp that enters the garage located 13ml under the access level that communicates with both of the home’s levels.
All of this is hidden from view. For construction, in trying to lessen the impact on the ground, we chose a metal structure fabricated in a workshop and transported to the site in large pieces that could be assembled on 3 metal, V-shaped pillars. An existing stone terrace supports the back part of the structure.
This home looks as though suspended or in flight due to the dry construction materials used. The façade, resulting in various layers, is finished on the outside with corrugated sheet metal, specially designed to prevent glare and heat, thanks to the shadows caused by the folds. The great front opening is oriented towards magnificent views, and allows adequate sunlight in during the winter, but also protects from the sun in the summer. The solar energy panels with heat pipe technology on the roof allow the home to guarantee that at almost any moment, there will always be hot water available for both domestic use and for under-floor heating. Air currents cross the patio, taking advantage of the different orientations, which permits reductions in air conditioning consumption, which, in any case, has been installed.
The intermediate courtyard allows access under the house, and at the same time, allows all the rooms to face the sun and the views. The whole house revolves around this courtyard. This is a house with a courtyard, but with different connotations since each room in the house can be seen from the courtyard’s central location, as well as the surrounding landscape, and since the courtyard is surrounded on four sides by the house, but is not enclosed by it due to the slope of the plot. In the large front area, which houses the kitchen, living room and master bedroom, the construction system is evident since the pillars and roof structure, formed by metal brackets supporting a corrugated sheet over which the roof is built, can be seen.
BF House / OAB + ADI originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 13 Sep 2012.
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Roca Barcelona Gallery / OAB
Architects: OAB
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Design Team: Borja Ferrater, Lucia Ferrater, Carlos Ferrater
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Alejo Bagué
Project Area: 2,450 sqm
Structure: Jordi Bernuz
Facade: Talleres INOX – Cricursa
Client: Roca Sanitario S.A.
The development of this project is a study of special interest to us. Designing a project for a client like Roca is a big challenge, but a bigger challenge is creating a successful design. A whole range of possibilities is open to us by working with a company that is continually evolving with concerns about a current image that meets contemporary demands.
We are aware that proposing a headquarters/social center/showroom for a business, brand, institution, etc. is more than creating just a building, it is representing and projecting an image through architecture, and therefore the building should express a corporate image in the collective memory.
Another challenge is creating a flagship project for a company like Roca in Barcelona which entails making a project for a large company in a big city – not just a big city, but as we see it, an epicenter of events, a global city in which there are many different types of looks and ideas which makes it a strategic city for the development of the best companies.
Typological study: since this type of building is based on its uniqueness or character, the exterior has a role of greater importance, especially since it is the first impression of the building. Even though the principal material of the façade is glass, the building does not function as a large window display. The glass works in different ways so that at some times it appears transparent and functions as a type of veil and reveals a bit of the inside but at other times it is simply perceived as transparent. In this way, the building becomes a unique piece, both day and night since in daylight it functions as a piece that attracts passers-by due to the seductive effect of the veil, and at night the building becomes a beacon.
The logo/brand is presented on the façade in a discreet way, which is achieved by reducing its size in relation to the rest of the façade and utilizing transparencies or shades through which visibility is reduced, or completely blends the logo into the composition of the entire façade without being too evident. In all cases, the image of the architectural object predominates over the image of the product itself, allowing the building itself to incorporate the corporate image of the brand in the collective memory.
Roca Barcelona Gallery / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 10 Sep 2012.
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Azahar Headquarters / OAB
Architects: OAB
Location: Castellón, Spain
Design Team: Carlos Ferrater, Núria Ayala
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Alejo Bagué
Project Area: 4,304 sqm
Collaborators: Emilio Llobat
Client: Grupo de Empresas Azahar
The Azahar Group is a group of companies with strong links with sustainability and environmental issues. It develops services to do with garden design (both public and private), recycling with waste-treatment plants, environmental consultancy and construction, along with other activities like sponsoring the world of art and cooperating with a Foundation on various projects in the Third World.
The parent company originates from Castellón and, given its growth and expansion, was eager to have a corporate headquarters that would reflect its environmental and artistic commitment. With this as a framework, and with the availability of a 5.6-hectare piece of land next to the N-340 highway, part way between Castellón and Benicàssim, the project contemplates three interventions: the covered greenhouses and exterior nursery plantations; a building for services complementary to the activities developed by the company; and the group’s corporate headquarters.
The headquarters is erected as an icon building maintaining a close relationship with the landscape. To both the north and west the topography of the mountains serves as a backdrop to the building, against which the geometrical roofs repeatedly stand out. From a distance their facetted shape and outline help situate the building in the landscape.
Orientated on the east-west axis, the headquarters building is structured as two wings united by a central body around two open patios of a very different sort. The first as a “parade ground” or external reception area for users and visitors, and the rear one, landscaped and for more private use. In this way it is closed off to the distant landscape and its own climate and interior/exterior rapport established. These patios provide a cross view between the glazed frontages, and no direct radiation exists towards the interior inhabitable spaces. The four wings that accommodate the company’s different departments converge in a main hall which, as well as acting as a distributor, is a large exhibition space. The lighting of this hall is overhead, so that the special north light is introduced inside the building through a huge skylight extending over a sequence of girders.
The ceilings inside faithfully reflect the geometry of the roof and the vision of the continuity of these is produced by transparent glass tympani supported on the dividers of the different rooms. For the resolution of all the cladding we sought a continuous facing that could be applied to both the facade and the roof. To arrive at the maximum energy saving and find a sustainable solution was included in the proposed objectives. Hence, there arose a new material applied to the Coteterm system: a flexible and self-washing stucco, white in color, that needs no further joints than those of the actual implementation of 2-3 mm.
An important environmental feature of the buildings is the channeling of water from all the roofs and the outside areas to a cistern-reservoir, the latter being used in the watering of exteriors and nursery plantings on the plot of land.
Lastly, the services and maintenance building, 250 m in length, with a sloping roof favoring cross-ventilation, gradually cuts across the contour lines, adapting to the slope and increasing in height in accordance with the uneven ground and the use of different spaces (cloakrooms, work areas, machinery, warehouses, garages). This 2,300 m2 sloping flat roof is landscaped and serves as a backdrop to the headquarters. The technical resolution of the landscaped flat roof has been by means of a system the Azahar company itself commercializes and installs.
Azahar Headquarters / OAB originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 07 Sep 2012.
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