COMPARATIVE MEDICINE AND BIOIMAGE CENTER
The Center for Comparative Medicine and Bioimage of Catalonia (CMCiB) is a building that houses a leading scientific research center. It is a reference equipment based on ethical criteria of investigation, where the technical and functional complexity as well as the comfort features have been resolved in an effective, sustainable and sensitive manner with the site.
The Integration in the environment is addressed from the implantation of the volume in the topography, the definition of an organic geometry and the materiality. The building is located on a large slope that limits the forest area at the highest point of the university campus; this height difference is used to shape a topographical building that relates the various levels, articulating the functional program inside and generating the least apparent volume on the outside. Thus, research plants -which require stable climatic conditions- remain hidden beneath a surface of green roofs. The apparent compact volume and round-edged volume, as well as the wooden façade, integrate the building into the natural environment of the Marina Serralada. The complex functional program and technical requirements are solved thanks to the generation of two levels of access that divide the administrative area from the scientific-technical department. In relation to users, one of the most important challenges in scientific research excellence is the consolidation of local talent and the attraction of international scientists. Therefore, the main purpose is to project a building with high comfort features, which range from the placement of the building, to the conformation of luminous interiors and naturalized atmospheres. Moreover, in order to minimize CO2 emissions, bio-construction systems have been chosen, such as a biospherical façade and a prefabricated structure, and multiple energy-efficient measures.
