Pablo Picasso Offices
The project 'Pablo Picasso' is an office building (41.393m²) that houses two regional authorities. To accommodate the program and meet the client’s desire to provide all workplaces with direct sunlight, a special shape has emerged that justifies the public character of the building without compromising the functionality of the work-flows in the offices. The peculiar images of the building is best explained by its spatial organization of eight bars, crossing each other, reaching the contours of the rectangular lot and appear at these boundaries as if they were independent freestanding volumes. The latter is powerfully assisted due to each individual intersection of the bar and the unified sloping roof along the settled boundaries of the plot. Consequently the building provides a remarkable position along the street, giving a striking image, despite its perfect-fit within the rectangular - more common - building lot. The office wings cross each other in multiple ways and therewith generate exterior spaces that give an exceptional relation to the surroundings; improving its urban quality considerably. Sometimes the wings open, sometimes they embrace the exterior space. Due to the extension of the length of what we can call ‘a usual street façade’ there is relatively more contact with random passersby. The ground floor counts with the main access in the central part of the building, announced by a generous porch and big plaza. Both the public entrance is located here as the entrances to the audience chamber. In the opposite courtyard the playground for the day-care is situated.
The façade is modulated and continuous. It does not merely wrap around the office wings, but is responsible for the construction of the building in an integrated façade system. This provides column-free floor areas of 12.40m wide. The offices share characteristics meanwhile distinctive in certain way (size, orientation). They offer flexibility for the future and any type of work. It enables glimpses from one wing to the other through a fine mesh of green. On the intersection of the wings the shafts and vertical circulations are placed, combined with the common shared facilities. The chosen execution method significantly reduces cost and construction time and provides an efficient gross/net ratio.
The client wanted to minimize the use of artificial light. This has led to a design that allows daylight to reach far into the interiors. Glare is ruled out by the smart positions of the green spaces. High-quality double insulated glass is used for the windows. The bars generate a smart subdivision into smaller manageable varied wings, which makes the total surface subtly scaled to the experience of the individual users. By reusing energy within its own system, 70% of the water is heated by solar energy and also the electricity is generated by photovoltaic solar panels, the CO2 emission is significantly reduced. Also, the use of artificial light has been regulated to maximize the consumption.
