Comarcal Archive and Civic Center in Sant Feliu de Llobregat by dataAE + XVStudio

Material strategy. dataAE

The building is constructed with ceramic, regarding the use of this material in the Baix Llobregat, especially in the s. XIX, in the industrial and residential. Outside, the facades using an alveolar piece with a suspended system as a versatile solution to the different needs of the facade. The façade system is suspended to get a ventilated solution and the alveolar piece for solve the plinth without change the material. This piece is a great format to use as a lattice, or grid filter in the gaps where the exchange does not require windows. Inside, the lightweight ceramic provides the inertia which guarantees necessary  thermal stability, especially in the area of deposits, without passive means.

The alveolar piece is designed exclusively for this building, with horizontal grooves that smoothed the constructive board between pieces and enhance longitudinality the building. The dark brown hue maintains the own tonality of a mineral and natural material. The craftsmanship of the piece has allowed work with the ceramist artist Carme Balada, to integrate the signage outside the facades.

Energy Strategy.

The constructive solution of the project responds to the desire to maintain comfort conditions as stable as possible. The outer enveloping is vented, both on the cover, which is the area of maximum exposure in summer, as the facades, to protect from direct sunlight.  The ventilated solution also facilitates of the insulation continuity avoiding the thermal bridges. On the street facade, north facade, the openings are large and unprotected. On the garden facade ,south facade, in the ground floor, the cantilevered overhang protects from radiation in summer, while in the same cantilever, in first floor, work spaces, it requires lighting, ventilation and sunscreen simultaneously and it solves with a solution of lightweight fabric enclosure with a protective sheet pierced by holes. In the deposits of documents of the Archive located in north face, is required which the inertia to be high, thereforethe gaps are reduced to a renewal of air, "nightcooling", through front sloping slats.

Organizational strategy.

A level of activity, the building reconciles two programs, the Civic Center of Mas Lluí and Comarcal Archive of Baix Llobregat. In this manner will achieve two objectives: on one hand, reduce the built area to increase the garden area of the square. On the other hand, this integration enables internal interconnection between the two programs, as some entities of the Civic Center need some spaces and services of the Archive.

A level urban, the project avoids objectual presence by maintaining the facade alignments with existing streets, keeping the building height within gauges of the adjacent buildings. They take advantage the diferent unevennesses of the plot to have the two programs on different platforms, but also both, with shortcuts to natural elevation of the street.