Biofarma HQ
Santiago Viale Lescano + Juan Manuel Juárez
ARCHITECTS
Santiago Viale Lescano + Juan Manuel Juárez
MANUFACTURERS
Abest, Cortinas Suquía, Etc, Julia Sol, Rassegna
COLLABORATORS
Salvador Viale, Tito Maximiliano Gonza, Francisco Gavilan, Nicolás Macasso, Santiago Viale Beviglia, Rocío Cornacchione, Emiliano Pino, Nicolás Borra, Lourdes Bruno, Fiama Ríos, Ricardo Cortesse, Eduardo Storaccio, Sonja Czeranski, Juan Macías
LOCATION
Córdoba, Argentina
CATEGORY
Office Buildings
Biofarma is a company that produces and markets animal feed for the poultry, swine, and cattle industries, among other species.
The project originated from a private competition, which called for designing a master plan for the construction of an industrial plant that includes an administrative office building and other complementary structures, on a plot of 39,870m2.
After receiving the first prize, we were tasked with developing the executive project for the offices. To design the building, it was considered that we had a free perimeter and a strategic location within the master plan.
Two rectangular-shaped floors were proposed, consisting of office bands towards the facades connected by two internal courtyards in the center, creating collaborative spaces.
Two vertical circulation cores at the ends allow for greater interaction between employees on different levels.
The program on the upper floor includes not only the offices but also meeting rooms, printing areas, and a coffee break space.
The company managers' offices are distributed around a double-height space that connects with a hierarchized entrance on the ground floor, reinforcing the sense of institutional identity.
Together with the mentioned entrance, a small auditorium and training rooms are located.
An independent reinforced concrete structure was proposed, with lightweight slabs and flat beams.
The envelope consists of several layers of simple construction, conceived as an element of passive sustainability that improves the building's thermal insulation.
A closure with integral front aluminum joinery, with double hermetic glazing fixed to the concrete columns, was designed over the perimeter columns and beams.
Brackets of standard profiles were anchored, on which a substructure of metal tubes was supported, and a pre-painted gray galvanized expanded metal sheet skin was placed on top, separated 70 cm from the aluminum joinery, thus creating a sun protection.
Being separated from the ground gives a sense of lightness, reinforced by the shadows it casts on the glass.
This skin plays a significant role in the project, as it forms an intermediate shaded space between the glass closure and the exterior, reducing direct sunlight radiation and, consequently, the building's energy consumption.
To avoid being a visual obstacle between the exterior and interior, movable panels were proposed that can be opened depending on the time of day.
As a complement, vertical blinds were installed inside, allowing users to regulate the required level of brightness according to their needs. It also gives the building the language and institutional character of the company.
On the main facade, different elements appear, such as a sign proportioned to its size, noticeable because it interrupts the large metal cladding of the building, preceded by opaque laminated glass that serves as a background for the sign and enclosure of service areas.
In addition, a large window accompanied by a metal nozzle highlights the change of use, where a dining area for staff and a terrace with recreational space as an extension of the offices are located.
