The ground floor has an active program that offers pedestrians in transit a reading of its interior, which translates into an invitation to various levels of access.
The windows multiply the contact with the outside. Its depth in space increases the amount of information that can be displayed, allowing the random passer-by to occupy an intermediate place. They facilitate the transition between the free public space and the interior space for cultural exchange. In the other sense, the windows expand the activity, making the passers-by feel momentarily part of the event.
Between shelves full of books we suddenly come across stands where we can relax for a moment while charging the mobile or having a coffee from a machine. We propose corners, places of passage where to sit until class starts, steps from which to look, and maybe say hello; meet, talk.
Velvet curtains can block light when needed, work acoustically, and at the same time give this space a theatrical character. The decision to surround the auditorium with curtains, help us manage its size, give privacy to the bathrooms, hide screens, integrate the interpreter booth, camouflage the warehouse doors …
The stage has a door that leads to the library. The library can function as a backstage. The library window stand can function as a Green room before the concert, the musicians can practice in front of passersby, announcing their recital.
The configuration of the facade is used to create reading spaces around the windows, and storage space for books in the opaque parts. A continuous element is created along the facade that varies its shape according to a specific use, reading or storage.
The teaching system used by the teaching staff of the Cervantes Institute benefits from a circle arrangement of the students, with a free space in the center to organize conversation subgroups. We propose to mark the circle in the classrooms with an element of simple construction that also works acoustically due to its recycled felt overlay.
La superficie expositiva de la propuesta es un sencillo panel pintado de color negro mate para que la luz natural destaque al máximo las obras de la feria.
La planta alta de LaSede del COAM es una galería acristalada, bañada en luz y con magníficas vistas de los tejados de Madrid.
La feria se recorre por el perímetro del edificio, junto a la luz y las vistas, desde donde se va accediendo a cada bahía expositiva que queda marcada por uno de los elementos singulares. De esta manera las zonas de exposición se abren a la luz natural, aunque siempre evitando la luz directa.
An old Madrid apartment becomes a place to live and work. The large available area is treated as a country plot, building a small house with a garden at one end, and leaving the rest as labor fields.
The house-shelter is built with lightweight and cheap materials, forming boxes that are stacked, juxtaposed or doubled, so that their interiors can be used according to precise functions.
The garden, empty of constructions, is filled with light elements under the light of a street lamp. It is a space of communication, place of passage for all, but with the dimension and the necessary equipment to invite the break. At one extreme, a sushi-kiosk offers us food and drink.
The intermediate places, discrete adjoining constructions, close anonymous doors to a neutral space inhabited by multiple activities.
In the fields of labor, the most subjective operation is carried out: the discovery of the landscape.
Scraping, smoothing, puffing, discovering episodes, traces, wounds, that appear before us in the distance. Distance of time: hand-painted papers a century and a half ago, overlays of different tastes, fashions, traces of different uses and ways of life. Distance in space: if we sit at a point in this open space, we have before us a panorama of episodes that invite us to approach. We get up called by a point of undefined colours, we want to see what it is, to feel its texture, its smell, to lose ourselves in its silhouettes. A sutured wound, a meeting between two times, a Pompeian red surrounded by a random mixture of vegetal, symbolic and geometric decorations. But, little by little, even the mouldy glue of the burlap was gaining our respect.
The Academie MWD sits at a uniquely varied crossroads; South: the main square; North: Wolfsputten, a protected forest; West: CC Westrand, a Brutalist community centre; and East a series of quaint suburban villas.
Image and texture dematerialise the volume: the façade seems to blend into the forest.
Our challenge was erecting a building with a quality of its own, which makes sense from all four directions.
We carefully modulate scale and form: the jagged edge of the roof mimics those of the homes across the street, growing gradually to the cantilevered auditorium at the other end, and rising up to look face to face towards the monumental volumes of CC Westrand.
The building changes dramatically as we move along the sidewalk; walking towards the forest, we see forest; walking towards the grey Westrand we see greys, whites and blue skies.
Looking straight into the façade, we see the colours of a painting by A. Hoppenbrouwers, the architect of neighbouring Westrand.
An energy producing park, built with recycled materials. Park activities, cycle and pedestrian lanes coexist in harmony with yards for storage and the management of construction material.
The park around the building is also built with a very controlled budget, and its features are productive systems, rather than an expense.
The city's road work department material storage integrates with pedestrian and cycling routes. It is part of a European Interreg MP4 project: Making Places Profitable.
Water harvesting in two steps: the roof provides clean water for all the toilets, the workshops, and the vehicle cleaning point.
This adds to the water collected in the plot, which may contain some sand to filter, but is perfect to fill the street-cleaning truck tanks.
RMdP is the first C2C (Cradle to Cradle) building in France. A regenerator of a former factory, it is an economic, cultural and environmental activator.
The MdP (House of the Project) hosts meetings, exhibitions, calls for tender, as needed to reactivate the 1.000 Ha area into the circular economy.
It is also improving soil and air conditions, eating up the chemicals left over from former industrial activity.
There were no earthworks, using driven piles that may be recovered; the structure and façades are designed for disassembly and reuse.
Materials are biodegradable or recyclable, with zero harmful chemicals
Sanitation generates nutrients, with the chimneys of three dry toilets as a main feature of the façade.
Landscaping cleans the soil; the building feeds on clean energies, with controlled solar exposure and the principle of the thermal onion.
Technology reuse is easy, the designers call it “superfurniture”: mobile equipment units to provide a specific function to any space.
Nobelia, 40,000 m2 mixed use, a pedestrian hub and the main entrance to the business district of Kigali, Rwanda, is the first 6-star GBC certified design in intertropical Africa.
Its construction methods, low impact and low cost, minimize imports and create local industry with simple, lightweight and compact materials, mostly locally produced.
It is flexible, to adapt to changing uses over time without investing more resources.
It will use 17% of the electricity and 1% of the water compared to a standard building. It is equipped to harvest rain water, clean water on site, and purify a proportion of used water back to human-contact quality, with only a marginal loss.
It will achieve maximum comfort with passive and active strategies: night cooling, free cooling, thermal storage, thermal inertia, careful orientation and a microclimate of climbing plants on the shaded walkways that cover the façade.
The starting point for the project is an uncompromising in-situ reciclage of the existing industrial building, including foundations, bearing structure, outer skin, waterproofing, services installations and equipment, electric power station, heating plant, water ducts, fire hoses, drainage and even parking space, fencing and accesses. This approach may be defined as upcycling.
We chose basic materials, either recycled from waste, or very light and simple materials, or plain raw materials with only basic production procedures. We then give them a twist, applying our “joyful recycling” principle.
The floor is the existing concrete surface, lightly polished. The marks and lines that were used for the placement of coca-cola pallets remain in their place, adding depth and life to the large surface.
On the outside, it is a non-building. We cover the red panelling of the former coca-cola offices with a printed vegetation screen, to optimise solar exposure in winter and summer, but also signifying the change towards a friendly attitude and a caring management of the environment
Reusing the existing building was the way to cover the whole programme with the limited budget available. Our proposal is cheaper to implement and cheaper to maintain than the competition alternatives.
GRG bubbles. With only 7mm of thickness, the whole space is dramatically transformed with the glass-mat reinforced gypsum.
Paper flocking. The bubbles were insulated on the outer side, and the spots with intense centripetal sound concentration were treated with a flocking of recycled paper celluloses to absorb excess noise and reduce sound effects.
CNC panels. Each cluster is recognisable by the funky texture of its cladding. The texture is a CNC carving on a basic agglomerated wood board, turning a cheap and simple raw material into a chic finishing.
PET felt. A felt made with recycled PET bottles is used for furniture, wall coerings and soft partitions, adding warmth to the design, while contributing to the softening of the acoustic soundscape.
Paint. The outside of the industrial building, with the round portholes, only needs a coat of paint.
Carlos Arroyo Architects, Madrid based office for Architecture and Urbanism, has an international scope, building in Spain, France, Belgium, Rwanda, Colombia and Argentina.
The work ranges from institutional projects like Oostkamp Civic Center (Belgium) and The Academy of Performing Arts Dilbeek (Belgium), through to large developments like the eco-neighbourhood Ecobarrio de Toledo (Spain) or Camaleón Living in Rivas Ecopolis (Spain). The total construction budget of the works in which he has played a major role exceeds 200 million€.
We have developed protocols for innovation on all scales, from building technology including Van Alstyne HVAC units to landscape management, developing new types of public building, or researching into new forms of housing. Our work, described by critics as “sustainable exuberance”, claims to set the frame for a new architectural culture, language and aesthetics, through the ethics, technology and parameters of sustainability.
Benchmarks:
- 2015 Academie MWD, the Academie of Music, Word and Dance in Dilbeek (Belgium) was included in the eight “Future Listed Buildings” (Patrimonium voor de toekomst) built in the last three years in Flanders-Brabant.
- 2015 Nobelia Office Tower in Kigali (Rwanda) has received the maximum rating by the Green Building Council: World Leadership 6 Stars (Green Star SA Office v1 Design Shell & Core). It is the first 6 star building in inter-tropical Africa, and indeed the first on the continent outside South Africa.
- 2015 MdP Maison du Projet de La Lainière de Roubaix is the first registered C2C (Cradle to Cradle Inspired) building in France. It is the seed building for a regeneration of the whole La Lainière area towards a circular economy.
- 2013 OostCampus, is now a reference for the design of City Halls in Belgium, having received the Prijs Bowmeester National Award for Public Buildings. OostCampus is also a reference for Universal Design. In 2011 the project was awarded the Holcim Silver Award for Sustainable Architecture in Europe. In 2012 it was selected in Archdaily’s list of 65 Best New Buildings in the World 2012.
Main projects:
Projects in italics have their own link. Click on it to see more.
- Erretres, Caminando por el jardín , Offices at Cadarso, Madrid, Completed, 2015-16.
- Cervantes Institute Bruselas, Office building refurbishment, library and classrooms, Brussels (BE), Completed, 2015-16.
- Concept Plan Cultural Site Dilbeek, Design of the future plan of the area around the arts academy and the cultural centre at Dilbeek (BE) , Delivered, 2015.
- XIV Edition Contemporary Art Fair DEARTE, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2015.
- Maison du Projet de la Lanière, First Building Cradle to Cradle Inspired built in Francia, Roubaix, Lille (FR), Completed, 2014-16.
- Breeze House Kacyiru, Mixed-used building, Kigali (RW), Under Development, 2014.
- CREA Foundation, Artists in residence hotel in Avila (ES), Under Development, 2013-
- Westrand, Refubishment of Dilbeek Cultural Center, Belgium (BE), 2013-14.
- Kigali Farms, productive landscape V, buffer area of the Virunga Volcanoes National Park in Musanze (RW), Delivered, 2013-14.
- Erretres, La Oficina Inestable, Refurbishment at Plaza de España, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2013.
- Nobelia, High Performance Low Energy Business Centre, Kigali (RW), Under Construction, 2013.
- Mundi, Wetlands Interpretation Centre, Kigali (RW), Under Development, 2013.
- Westrand Masterplan, Design of a mobility plan, covered parking spaces, and square at Dilbeek (BE), Delivered, 2013.
- Gran Via Futura, a study of Urban Landscape in Madrid’s Gran Via for Laboratorio Gran Vía (ES), Completed, 2010.
- Casa en Ribarroja, Family house in Ribarroja, Valencia (ES), Under Development, 2009-
- Energy producing park, Productive Landscapes IV, Oostkamp (BE), European MP4 Interre, in association with ELD and VLM Flemish Govt. Landscape Agency, Completed, 2009.
- Demand for quality in commercial street-level floors, Productive Landscapes III, Madrid City Council (ES), Completed, 2009.
- Intervention in the industrial estate along the high-speed train line, Productive Landscapes II, Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government, JCCLM (ES), Under Development, 2009.
- Strategies to recover the interrupted landscapes of golf resort developments, Productive Landscapes I, Murcia Cultural, TISSPAS, Murcia’s Observatory of Sustainability (ES), Completed, 2009.
- SOL, Refuge for the Climate Change, Mataha Foundation, Under Development, 2009.
- 119 Houses in Rivas Ecópolis (ES), First prize competition, Under Development, 2008-
- OOSTCAMPUS, City hall and civic centre, Oostkamp (BE), First prize competition, Completed, 2008-12.
- Enviroloo, public dry toilets, Kazuba Sarl (FR), Completed, 2008-09.
- Madrid Public Space, Stategic Document, Center Office with Emilio Luque (ES), Completed, 2008.
- ACADEMIE MDW, Academy of Performing Arts, Dibleek (BE), First prize competition, Completed, 2007-12.
- Flexi-Flats, Transformer housing in Ciudad Real (ES), Completed, 2007-08.
- Casa en Las Lomas, Family house in Las Lomas, Madrid, (ES), Under Construction, 2006-
- Dulce Hogar, 103 housing units in La Garena, Alcalá de Henares (ES), Competition, 2006.
- Cultivos Urbanos, 2114 housing units in Aguas Vivas, Guadalajara, Competition, 2006.
- Flexible y Democrático, 711 housing units in Mieres, Asturias (ES), Competition, 2006.
- CLV, 2500 sqm Cohousing for CLV, Válor, Granada (ES), Under Development, 2005-
- TSM3, House and Office Building, Madrid (ES), Completed 2005-18.
- Casa Encuentro, House in Desierto de Tabernas, Almería (ES), Completed 2005-07.
- Casa de los Azulejos, Family home in Cáceres (ES), Completed, 2005-07.
- La Pelu de Peluka, children hairdresser´s Santa Feliciana, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2005-06.
- Proyecto de Actuación, 65 Ha Land Management Plan, Completed, 2005.
- Programa de Acción Urbanizadora, 7 Ha Land Management Plan, Toledo (ES), Completed, 2005.
- Cruz, 12 senior flats with shared space in Madrid (ES), Under Development, 2004-
- AAN, University building. Agrarias-Ambientales-Neurociencias Universidad de Salamanca (ES), Completed, 2004-08.
- Proyecto de Urbanización, Unidad 4 Fase 5, Toledo (ES), Completed, 2003-05 Moving frontiers, Recreation Area, Madrid (ES), Second Prize Competition, 2004.
- Ecobarrio de Toledo, 627 housing units in Stª Mª de Benquerencia, Toledo (ES), Under Development, 2003-
- MH, 30 Lofts in Polígono Julián Camarillo, Madrid (ES), Under Development, 2003-
- Fluid House, conversion in Marqués de Santa Ana, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2003-05.
- Nuñez de Arce housing block originally built in 1871, 24 flats, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2003-05.
- Housing block originally built in 1949, 14 large apartments and two shops, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2003-05.
- La Casa de las Flores 2, 142 housing units for youths and seniors, Competition, 2003.
- Gominolas, Infant school, Madrid, Competition, 2003.
- Nave de Viviendas, Industrial shed with several flexible habitats, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2002-
- Conde de Peñalver housing block originally built in 1912, 108 flats, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2002-04.
- Plan Especial, Unidad 4 Fase 5, Toledo (ES), 2002-04.
- Casa Betula, Family house in Ubeda, Jaen (ES), Completed, 2002-03.
- Casa Uali, Family house in Aranda de Duero, Burgos (ES), Project, 2002.
- Casa del Amor, House in La Moraleja, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2001-03.
- The Huge Flat, conversion, Madrid (ES), Completed, 2001-02.
- Casa Hodges attic, conversion, Madrid (ES), First prize invited competition, Completed, 2001-02.
- Ecobarrio de Toledo, Unidad 4 Fase 5, Toledo, First Prize Europan Competition, 2001.
- Estudio de Detalle, Residencial Montecastillo, Cádiz (ES), Completed, 2001.
- Proyecto de Actuación, Accessibility project for a hardboard factory, Jaén (ES), Completed, 2001.
- Alejandro Sanz, 2001 Tour, Produced, 2001.
- 3×1, Three housing units in La Piovera, Madrid (ES), Preliminary P., 2001.
- Montecastillo Senior Club, 138 housing units and Senior Club. Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz (ES), Project, 2000-01.
- Esponja de Luz, 22 semi-detached houses V.P.T. in Torrelodones (ES), Project, 2000.
- Launching Event. New Logo for British Petroleum and New design for BP garage, Madrid and Lisbon, Produced, 2000.
- Franchipolis pavilion, SIF Valencia (ES), First prize competition, Produced, 2000.
- Centro de día, Day Center for the elderly, Second prize competition, 2000.
- CIDEMAT Island’s Center for Marine Sports, Sta Cruz de Tenerife (ES), Competition, 2000.
- Stand Vía Digital, SIMO 2000, Project 2000.
- Conversion of various industrial sheds into offices, Completed, 1999-2000.
- Nuñez de Arce 9, Office and Flat conversion, Madrid (ES), Completed, 1999.
- Trees and pillars, Sports center, Torrejón de la Calzada, Competition, 1999.
- Edifici Sant Joan, 28 flexible flats in Vinyols i Els Arcs, Tarragona, Constructed, 1998-99.
- Ecomuseum of Water Mining, Tenerife (ES), First prize competition, 1998-99.
- Underground parking in Vinyols i Els Arcs, Tarragona (ES), Constructed, 1998-99.
- Casa El Jaral, Family home in La Poblachuela, Ciudad Real (ES), Completed, 1996-98.
- La Casa sobre el Tejado, attic conversion, Madrid (ES), Completed, 1996-97.
- Martin Price Exhibition, Museo de Antropología, Sala Millares, Madrid; Galería H2O, Barcelona; COACanarias, Tenerife (ES), associated with Federico Soriano, José Ballesteros and Dolores Palacios, Produced, 1996.
- Arquitecturas Madrid – Berlín, Ideas for the fallen wall, Exhibition E.T.H., Berlin (DE); Kolomna Dom Kulturi, Moscow (RU), associated with Juan Antonio Gorráiz and Helena Casanova, Produced, 1991.
Project leaders:
Carlos Arroyo, Vanessa Cerezo.
Collaborators (Past & present):
Carlos Revilla, Havi Navarro, Nikita FV Keysselitz, Miguel Ruiz-Rivas, Julio de la Fuente, Hendrik Verlinden, Kasper Denayer, Alexander Krol, Rafael Otero, David Jiménez Iniesta, Paula Currás, Iciar Arboledas, Marina Gil, Irene Castrillo, Sara Miguelez, Pieter Van Den Berge, David Berkvens, Benjamin Claeys, Paula Cortés, Carmina Casajuana, Sophie Devaux, Ana Belén Franco, Martin Hochrein, Érika Goyarrola, Jan Lacina, Natalia Matesanz, Irene Alvarez de Miranda, Miguel Paredes, Luis Salinas, María Gabriela Sanz, Sarah Schouppe, Beatriz Sendín, Riikka Stockstrom, Benjamin Verhees.
Good Article about Nobelia in ZA magazine «Earthworks»
Good article about Nobelia in South African magazine Earthworks, in the context of the 6-Star GBC certification of our project. See above the first two pages of the printed version. You can read the full text (without the graphics) on the on-line version here.
Buen artículo sobre Nobelia en la revista Sudafricana Earthworks, a propósito de la reciente certificación 6-Star GBC de nuestro proyecto. Arriba vemos las dos primeras páginas de la versión impresa, pero se puede leer el texto completo (sin imágenes) en la versión web con este enlace (en inglés).