Not long ago, the geometry of buildings relied heavily on water levels. Wall elevations and the verticality of pillars had to be checked by way of water “levels”. Water hoses were used to take a specific height reference from one place to another by applying the principle of communicating vessels.
The horizon line has always been the natural contrast to the verticality of humans and man-made constructions. Geometry, as we know it today, stems from the physical nature of water in its many dispositions. Flat lines in nature can only be found in water, such as the sea surface. So, movement, and therefore time, are parties to this uninterrupted flow that permeates through the architectural design of this unique corner of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Arbitrary organic shapes lead us into the analysis of one of the most prominent trends of the Modern Movement in architecture. Architects such as Fermín Suárez Valido laid down the foundations of this so-called organic architecture, based on formal and material traditions that have been inherited from their ancestors. The renovation and expansion Project aims at promoting a greater integration with nature, from where it emerged.
01 Place. The project is always looking for relationships with the context, framing and capturing visions of the sorroundings.
02 Architectural form. The arrangement of uses, architectural spaces and forms in the construction of buildings is put together in a way that results in less energy expenditure.
03 External envelope. Passive systems, carefully studying openings on the facades according to orientation, double skin/cladding, facades that protect from solar gains with reduced needs of active airc conditioning systems.
04 Internal configuration. Structural systems that allow for flexibility in spatial organizations. The wet facilities and vertical transport elements are packed together to increase the flexible floor space areas
05 Environmental Control. Natural cross ventilation to be applied as a comfort factor for circulating air between two walls of different orientations, regulating internal temperature in a sustainable way.
06 Energy and water. The proposal is to achieve maximum comfort with minimum energy consumption through efficient energy use. Water savings systems (more efficient mechanical devices, rainwater collection, and grey water circuits), building energy efficiency (through dimming systems, efficient facade solutions and harvesting solar energy for hot water) and electrical saving systems such as photovoltaic panels, motion detectors and low energy lighting.
07 Materials. Treatment of waste, by creating storage space for selective recycling (organic, mixed, paper, glass and plastic) and using building systems that promote the reuse of materials
08 Comfort. Psychological comfort to create calm and luminous environments that encourage the activities taking place.
LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA
Spain
DISA RED DE SERVICIOS PETROLÍFEROS S.A.U.
01/2017
212 mq
Romera y Ruiz Arquitectos
Pedro Romera García, Ángela Ruíz Martínez, Carlota Ardanaz Petit, Yudit Barreto Martín, Paula Cabrera Fry, José M. López Cabrera, Rocío Narbona Flores, Rosalba Santana González, A4 Ingeniería y Nuevas Tecnologías S.L.U
SYOCSA INARSA S.A.
SIMÓN GARCÍA ASENCIO
Curriculum
To play is to learn, and it is also to teach, and to create, and to find, and to tempt fate, and to befriend, and to experience, and to remember, and to represent, and to superimpose, and to compete, and to enjoy, and to surprise, and to amaze, and to communicate, and to feel, and to think, and to live, and to win and lose, and to satisfy, and to travel, and to collect, and to direct, and to dream, and to venture, and to risk, and to talk, and to fantasize, and to trust, and to confess, and to confirm, and to expose, and to practise, and to know, and to entertain, and to suggest, and to seduce, and to plot, and to draw, and to build, and, above all, to project and imagine. There are also negative definitions, the least, in which the action of playing refers to deceiving, to cheat, to waste time, to take advantage, to be disloyal, but even these negative actions require the knowledge, skills, and intelligence of the malicious person who is practising them. Juan Luis Trillo de Leyva
