Herreros Arquitectos

Corporate Office Building for Hispasat Technology Center . Arganda del Rey

Herreros Arquitectos . photos: © José Hevia . + archdaily

The project for the new headquarters of Hispasat results from the entire remodeling of an existing building, which only keeps its structure. This property, built in the late seventies, has the distinction of being circular in plan and originally having some enclosures completely away from any sustainable criteria.

The assignment involves deploying an interior contemporary office concept, under the guidelines of maximum comfort based on the choice of materials and color ranges, the pursuit of transparency and visibility, and furnishings coherent with the architecture. In this regard, 60×60 technical floor modules, 120x120cm suspended acoustic metal ceilings, 120cm aluminum partitions with colored glass, closets and cabinets of 30, 60, and 90cm, etc, make up a complete system of equations that meets all individual cases without having to resort to special or specific solutions. The effect is a continuous space in which the ceilings and floors are perceived continuously, by laying out transparent stripes on enclosures where they touch the horizontal planes, while the opacity and translucency of the intermediate stripe ensures sufficient privacy and concentration for people at their workstations.

But undoubtedly, the most special element of the project is its facade. Conceived with the triple objective of giving a new image to the company, to control solar radiation, and to refine the views and offer added value in terms of safety and maintenance. We briefly explain these statements:
-The image of the company, dedicated to the management of artificial satellites, has been understood as a challenge that has focused our efforts on getting a delicate and evanescent figuration, clearly reminiscent of space, in which a skin of aluminum plates lacquered in three similar tones produces a variable vibration as the building is stimulated by weather conditions, natural light, clouds, sunsets, etc. From the outside, the building appears as a mysterious and sensitive construction that appears in the landscape and is measured chromatically with it. At night, artificial lighting outside and the light that filters through the triangular lattice accentuates the plastic effect of an installation in permanent dialogue with nature.
From the inside, the perception through the lattice creates a reinterpretation of the landscape that is manipulated by the geometric pattern, which allows us to manipulate the views towards places less graceful in terms of landscape. The effect from the workplace is a facade that filters light and produces a quiet and intimate reading by offering two levels of perception, that of the interior surface of the facade – the lattice – and that of the landscape that is visible through. Furthermore, the extension of the lattice a considerable height over the eaves of the building, ensures an undisturbed view of the roof machinery, plus re-proportioning the volume in a more balanced silhouette that floats suspended, separated from the floor by a shadow-gray plinth.
-From the point of view of environmental performance, the lattice offers three different densities of openings, sweeping the solar spectrum into three sectors with different solar radiations. The fact that the lattice is one meter separate from the building produces a shaded and ventilated chamber effect, that ensures the reduction of heat loss and gain. Virtual visors supplied by the metal grills for maintenance add another layer of protection to the glass.
-Safety and maintenance are based on the layout of a series of metal grill catwalks that use the cantilever structures, necessary for the assembly of the lattice. These catwalks allow for: the maintenance of the curtain wall from outside without non-business operators requiring access to the building; their use as emergency and evacuation routes; they ensure the monitoring of the lattice and all its structural elements to prevent oxidation processes or deterioration, as well as replacement work, etc.

Collaborators: Angela Ruiz, Ramón Bermúdez,Ricardo Robustini, Verónica Meléndez, Joanna Socha,Jorge Montalván
Client: Hispasat
Director: Juan Herreros
Project Manager: Diego Barajas
Interiors: Paola Simone, HA
Facade: Jens Richter, HA
Structures: Eduardo Barrón
Building Services: Intecsa
Facade Consultant: Andrés Rojo, Entorno
Technical Architect: Arturo Bressel
Cost: 2,285,000 €

El proyecto parte de la necesidad de dar respuesta tanto a carencias de uso y funcionamiento interno del edificio exisitente como a problemas de radiación e iluminación que genera la fachada actual. En el interior el proyecto supone la reorganización de los usos, distribuidos en zona operacional, zona de oficinas y zona institucional.
Ésta se resuelve con mamparas de cristal de diferentes grados de opacidad, colores y dibujos que generan un nuevo paisaje artifi cial para el espacio de trabajo.
La fachada se resuelve con una segunda piel que consiste en módulos de chapa de aluminio de 5mm calada, cuyo grado de perforación varía de acuerdo tanto a las necesidades lumínicas de confort, como de disipar energía frente a la radiación. En diferentes tonos metalizados, la nueva piel reacciona a los cambios atmosféricos y en especial a los atardeceres que se suceden en esta zona descampada de Arganda del rey donde está ubicado el centro de control.