SOMOS.arquitectos obtains an Honorable Mention in the competition for the new Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos' Archives in Seville.
The INDUSTRIAL context where the competition site stands does not provide clear design references. However, its position at the END of a long row of attached warehouses provides a certain uniqueness because it is both the end and the beginning, in short, a MILESTONE with which to provide an industrial area with a certain character. The building program is almost entirely dedicated to STORAGE, but indeed a very unique kind: a chest where written history of Architecture from mid-century onwards rests. Therefore, it has a clear FUNCTIONAL component but also a strong SYMBOLIC one. The most important criteria are those that have to do with the preservation and maintenance of the documents, so the first analysis should unravel the most important values and transform them into generating ideas for the project. There are two primary variables for a proper conservation:
-SUN PROTECTION.
-VENTILATION (constant humidity).
The measure unit for this building is not the meter, but the minimum storage unit: A CASE measuring 39x27x12cm. Through a simple DILATION, we could talk of a bigger container to house these units. Such a building would consist of a container and a LID that fitted into each other, isolating the contents from the most unfavorable conditions. However, this configuration does not satisfactorily resolve the variables mentioned above, since a closed box does not allow proper lighting or natural ventilation. Environmentally speaking, it is therefore an unsustainable building and therefore impractical, when exemplary architecture should give an answer to the current demands. The ideal SOLUTION is as simple as turning this lid upside down, so that we can obtain INDIRECT DAYLIGHT (since the height of the walls that protect the documents leave a gap where light BOUNCES off) and NATURAL VENTILATION (since that in-between space lets air currents go through). This is the basis of the project, a turned box INSIDE another box gives shape to a SINGLE space where stacking prevails over any other function, but without forgetting other considerations that imbue the project with high quality.
The INDUSTRIAL context where the competition site stands does not provide clear design references. However, its position at the END of a long row of attached warehouses provides a certain uniqueness because it is both the end and the beginning, in short, a MILESTONE with which to provide an industrial area with a certain character. The building program is almost entirely dedicated to STORAGE, but indeed a very unique kind: a chest where written history of Architecture from mid-century onwards rests. Therefore, it has a clear FUNCTIONAL component but also a strong SYMBOLIC one. The most important criteria are those that have to do with the preservation and maintenance of the documents, so the first analysis should unravel the most important values and transform them into generating ideas for the project. There are two primary variables for a proper conservation:
-SUN PROTECTION.
-VENTILATION (constant humidity).
The measure unit for this building is not the meter, but the minimum storage unit: A CASE measuring 39x27x12cm. Through a simple DILATION, we could talk of a bigger container to house these units. Such a building would consist of a container and a LID that fitted into each other, isolating the contents from the most unfavorable conditions. However, this configuration does not satisfactorily resolve the variables mentioned above, since a closed box does not allow proper lighting or natural ventilation. Environmentally speaking, it is therefore an unsustainable building and therefore impractical, when exemplary architecture should give an answer to the current demands. The ideal SOLUTION is as simple as turning this lid upside down, so that we can obtain INDIRECT DAYLIGHT (since the height of the walls that protect the documents leave a gap where light BOUNCES off) and NATURAL VENTILATION (since that in-between space lets air currents go through). This is the basis of the project, a turned box INSIDE another box gives shape to a SINGLE space where stacking prevails over any other function, but without forgetting other considerations that imbue the project with high quality.
