Estudio Carme Pinós, SLP

CaixaForum Zaragoza

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

CAIXAFORUM ZARAGOZA

Estudio Carme Pinós

ARCHITECTS
Estudio Carme Pinós

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Zaragoza, Spain

MANUFACTURERS
ULMA Architectural Solutions, ASCENDER Seating, Adapta Color

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ricardo Santonja

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

Text description provided by architect.

We start the project by posing two challenges:

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

The first: to design a building that can ‘feel like a city’ – both due to its uniqueness and to the public spaces it generates.

The second: to design a building which connects with distant perspectives when walking around, providing at the same time introspection when inside its exhibition halls.

In other words, a building which ‘feels like a city’ and which makes us feel part of it when we inhabit it.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

We solve these two challenges by raising the level of the halls. This allows freeing the ground floor, where we place the more open and transparent spaces: the lobby and the store.

Our aim is to create public spaces, make the park extend into the city by passing under the building – a space which is lit at night with drawings obtained by perforating the plate, which in addition hides the structure supporting the elevated halls.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

Below the raised halls we place a semi-underground garden that serves as the exit to the auditorium and which can also be considered an anteroom or outdoors catering area.

Thus, the auditorium – located underground and accessible through the lobby – can be considered as halfway underground and directly connected to the city thanks to the garden.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

The two suspended halls face each other at different levels in a way that the visitor who exits one hall has a view of the city below the other hall.

We believe decompression and relaxation areas are necessary between both halls – i.e., between exhibitions.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

With this aim, the two halls are connected by escalators, offering a journey which allows us to enjoy the distant views – completely different from the decontextualisation produced by elevators and which cannot offer the visitor any type of decompression.

On the upper part of the building and with views to the city are the coffee shop and the restaurant.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

Opposite to them and created by the different levels between halls, there is a terrace-bar which – keeping with the indoors restaurant – allows to enjoy fantastic views of the Ranillas meander and Expo Zaragoza.

CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja

Thanks to its unique and feasible structure, our building appears as a sculptural element amidst the park. We want our building to become a symbol of the progress of the technique and generosity of culture – we want it to be a reflection of only the best things of our times.


CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja


CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja
CaixaForum Zaragoza
© Ricardo Santonja


CaixaForum Zaragoza
Basement Floor Plan
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Ground Floor Plan
CaixaForum Zaragoza
First Floor Plan
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Second Floor Plan
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Third Floor Plan
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Site Plan


CaixaForum Zaragoza
Section
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Section
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Section
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Location


CaixaForum Zaragoza
Elevation
CaixaForum Zaragoza
Elevation

Estudio Carme Pinós, SLP
T +34 934 160372 F +34 932 181473
Estudio Carme Pinós, SLP
Av. Diagonal, 490, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, 08006 Barcelona, Spain