ALIUS Building: 110 offices and commercial space

ALIUS BUILDING 2008-2010 On Madrid's northern periphery lies this work, on a plot of 5,400 square meters, the result of a project undertaken for a property owner featuring limited resources, consistent with the surroundings involved, but who trusted the studio, granting it enough freedom to effectively approach the project. Over time we are increasingly convinced that the client is a key factor impacting the final result of any work. The project's essential focus was determined by the main problem at hand: the need to create a longitudinal space of over 100 meters from which to provide access to 110 units through three levels, without resorting to the conventional corridor solution. And this was how the covered space (and uncovered, for legal reasons ) became the highlight of a typology in which the entrance and movement through common areas were a principal concern. Said space houses three vertical cores, featuring walkways on two access levels delivering light to all the units, which filters in through a canopy crafted of wooden beams resting upon laminated wooden trusses. The contrast between the two wings making up the central space creates a visual sensation shortening the complex's length while infusing it with transparency. Inside three different level-based typologies were developed. In terms of its construction the work is austere and based on elements of prefabricated concrete, laminated wood, galvanized steel and stretched sheets. The building was designed to give priority to sustainability, and minimize energy and maintenance costs. For this purpose, we designed transitional spaces from the outside to the inside, thus limiting air treated spaces. Thus on a projected total of 13,500 square meter, less than 50% are heated or air conditioned. All enclosures despite scarce financial resources are design to optimized energy saving without sacrificing light.