Asepeyo Building

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

Asepeyo Building

Ventura Valcarce Arquitecto

PHOTOGRAPHS
Francisco Nogueira

AREA
4775 m²

YEAR
2009

LOCATION
Barcelona, Spain

CATEGORY 
Office Buildings

Text description provided by architect.

In a lively and modern city like Barcelona, architecture has an important role in maintaining standards of civility and quality.

Moreover, the societal concern for maintaining a history and collective heritage, as well as caring for our environment, increasingly lead to the prolongation of life of our buildings, well above its materials.

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

Therefore, continued care and maintenance of buildings during their use and further renewal or reform, are critical to maintain high levels of aesthetic quality, security and urban sustainability.

Starting point As a major company headquarters in Barcelona, the new building should show a clear and consistent corporate image with its principles.

The project addressed the problem existing high-density zoning staff with unclear and undefinedThe project addressed the problem existing high-density zoning staff with unclear and undefined areas.

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

The architects provided a comprehensive approach to the organization, construction and design of all elements. The strength of projecting a single gesture, the introduction of an abstract line, clearly defines a workspace and circulation space.

AGENDA AND ORGANIZATION

Since it was necessary to maintain the original structure and vertical communication cores, it was decided to restructure by dividing the spaces, one side featuring the vertical communication, and the other a spacediáfano.

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

The organization of the workspace is further emphasized by two linear cabinets, which hide the servers. areas.

These physical partitions are completely integrated into the initial black-white distinction and dematerialized before reaching the front, expanding the central space at the ends and allowing a total perception of the facades that emphasizes, even more-visual connection with the outside longitudinal.

REFLECTIONS AND TRANSPARENCIES

The facade is the contact plane of the buildings with the street, a building face that shows the city and its citizens.

The cross-connection of the different areas is done through a longitudinal central axis that visually connects two interior lights for natural light, ventilation yards.

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

Therefore, the solid and rigorous design of the plant is moved to the main facade, to convey a corporate image to the outside of clarity, consistency and reliability.

Following the three-to five-line abstract of the plant is materialized in front with a break that breaks the 'flatness' of the façade facing the top-down power.

Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira
Asepeyo Building
© Francisco Nogueira

The main facade faces one of the busiest streets of Barcelona, with a boulevard full of great old trees. The transparency of the facade was imposed not only energy issues but also for aesthetic and ideological, despite the unfavorable orientation to the west.

Indeed, this orientation to the west and the high incidence of solar radiation heat involved, advised to raise a double-skin facade, composed of an inner layer of low emissivity glass tube, metal walkways, and allows the passage of maintenance workers, refrigerate the facade providing hot air convection, while behaving as a 'brise-soleil', which casts a shadow on the inside of glass, and an outer layer screen printed glass ventilated reduced by 40% the surface of transparency and, therefore, transmission of solar radiation.