Aeronautical Cultural Centre in Prat Airport

Memory of Project

Biologic concrete for creating of vegetables facades of Aeronautical Cultural Centre by Sergi Godia, Berta Barrio, Eloi Juvillà.

Aeronautical Cultural Centre is located on El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona Airport) within the business park surrounded by industrial buildings linked to airport terminals. The Cultural Centre is a building and also a Hangar. It’s designed to host, display and repair aircraft from the World War II and the Spanish Civil War. Furthermore, is also designed to host business events where present and discuss the developments from aeronautical sector.

The Cultural Centre is a multipurpose building where public uses (recreational and cultural) are mixed with  trade and economic ones.

This project explores the types, construction systems and materiality of Hangars and ancient aircraft. It mixes the past with the present, what is ancient with what is new. The outer skin is continuous and is made of concrete. The skeleton is made by a spectacular metal structure designed to support the weight of hanged aircrafts. The roof is made of corrugated sheet metal which reminds the early aircrafts. The concrete body from the façade where is located main entrance rises and the museum seems being taking off.

The iron structure is always present at indoor space which is divided in two large areas of 30 m and 15 m wide. First floor is built with a huge truss beam with a span of 45 m in order to avoid pillars on ground floor. Thus, this structure allows passage of aircraft below it towards the exhibition areas.

With 3,200 m2 the functional program is similar to an aircraft hangar. Building has two zones. In zone 1 we find the great showroom with real aircrafts and a restoration workshop that has direct access from the outside. First floor is part of the exhibition tour and also works like a lookout over the great showroom. Beside it, Zone 2 contains administration area and the auditorium.

Natural Light draws indoor space. The roof is offset relative to the plane of the facade of concrete. The space between these two elements is a thin skylight that runs around the perimeter of the building. Natural light comes in and the walls from different galleries are gently bathed in light. In the central areas, different deck levels provide indirect light through large skylights.

Precast concrete panels are slightly moved to break the flatness and create a play of light and shadow that varies throughout the day and provides volume to the facade. This outer skin is typical of industrial use. However, its texture, color and volume illustrate the peculiar indoor use.

Text: Sergi Godia, Berta Barrio and Eloi Juvillà.