“IGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building” by Josep Miàs at Bartlett

Next 25th of April, an exhibition featuring iGuzzini BCN HQ will be opening at the Lobby Gallery of the Bartlett School of Architecture. The building, designed by Josep Miàs, will be described with big format pictures and models in different scales of the building and its particular details.

Videos and other media will depict the project and construction process. In addition, there will be a presentation of the iGuzzini BCN HQ Book the 3nd of May 2012 and a round table with the architect Josep miàs in the Lobby Gallery of The Bartlett School of Architecture too.

"The new The new iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building is located between AP-7 and C-16 highways (Barcelona metropolitan roads).

The building has two parts, each with a different function: one is low, extensive and underground, with no natural light and built in concrete; the other is spherical and with a glass shell, floating over the landscape.

Taking profit of the slopes of the ground, the platform contains the logistic warehouse, the parking, the showroom, the auditorium, the light theatre, a conference room and climate and system mechanics. All these spaces need darkness, so as to show the characteristics of artificial light.

During the day, from the outside, the building appears like an opaque volume, which reflects the sky on the northern part, and is profiled as a pointed spherical volume on the southern. From the inside, however, the perception is completely different, since the space has no interruption between interior and exterior.

During the night, all these qualities are inverted. Thanks to light, the sphere turns to be almost like a lighthouse, showing its interior in a complete transparency from every corner of the roads which surround the plot.

Recently the project has won the BUILDING OF THE YEAR 2011 AWARD given by Archdaily, the most known and prestigious architecture website of the world."

Location.- The Lobby Gallery, Wates House, 22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0QB.
Dates.- 18:30-21:30 25 / April / 2012.

Read less

View more images

Metalocus recommends

Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura. Photograph by Jesús Granada

An integrated and humanized landscape. Almazara Acesur by Mollinedo Arquitectura

Gimnasio de escalada Spluga por Enrico Scaramellini. Fotografía por Marcello Mariana

Prepare to climb. Spluga climbing gym by Enrico Scaramellini

KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos. Photograph by David Frutos

A wavy glass skin. KOI Building by Ortiz Leon Arquitectos

More information

JOSEP MIÀS

Josep Miàs, Architect COAC/ARB. 1992_ETSAB_UPC, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona_Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

From 1990 till 2000 he worked as Associated Architect with Enric Miralles, developing the following projects Círculo de Lectores in Madrid, Sports Hall in Huesca, Centro de Alto Rendimiento in Alicante, Library in Palafolls, Parc dels Colors in Mollet del Vallès, Cemetery in Igualada, Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, DiagonalMarPark, Santa Caterina Market and GasNaturalBuilding in Barcelona. In 2000, Josep Miàs founded his own studio.

Among won architectural competitions, these are the most important first prizes: Girona Central Park Station, Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, Barceloneta Market, Rubí Market, Golf Fontanals de Cerdanya Clubhouse, Tibidabo Funicular Station and Herta Frankel Puppet Theatre in Barcelona, Girona Annexa-Puigbert Primary School, Plug-in Building 22@ in Barcelona, Torrebaró Apartment Building in Barcelona, San Bernardo Apartment Building in Madrid, Dakar Music Recording Centre and Village in Senegal, Palafolls Pedestrian Bridge, Miño Sil Water Confederation Headquarters in Ourense, Arenys Mental Health Centre and iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building.

Josep Miàs’ works have won several awards, some of them are: AJAC Best Young Architect Award 2004 for Golf Fontanals de Cerdanya, Special Mention Girona Architecture Award 2005 for Mollet single house, First Prize Girona Architecture Award 2007 for Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, City of Barcelona Architecture and Urbanism Award 2007 for Barceloneta Market, Catalonia Construction Award 2009 for Banyoles Old City Refurbishment, Architecture Aplus Award 2011 Best Educational Building in Spain for Annexa-Puigbert Primary School, Building of the Year 2011 Archdaily Award_Winner World Best Building of the Year, and WAF World Architecture Festival 2012 Shorlisted World Best Building of the Year both for iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building.

From 1992, he has developed teaching activities in Architecture Schools in Europe, America and USA: Design Department Professor at Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB_UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Design Department Professor at School of Architecture La Salle BCN, Director of the Design Department and Deputy Director at School of Architecture ESARQ_UIC_Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and Professor in UCL University College London_The Bartlett School of Architecture,UNISS Università di Sassari_Facoltà d’Architettura Alghero, Frankfurt Stadelschule and USA Harvard Graduate School of Design GSD.

He has been invited to read lectures and head up workshops in a large number of universities in Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Singapore and Panama among others.

His work, as well as his writings, have been published in international magazines and books, and his buildings have been exhibited in many exhibition halls as COAC_Barcelona, Arquería Nuevos Ministerios_Madrid, Cité de l’Architecture_Paris, Stadelschule_Frankfurt, Architektur Forum_Zurich, TU University_Berlin,House of the Architect_Kiev, Bartlett School of Architecture_London, 2012 Biennale di Venezia, and WAF 2012 Singapore.

Currently, he is Associate Professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB_UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya_Barcelona, Visiting Professor in UNISS Università di Sassari_Facoltà d’Architettura Alghero andTeaching Fellow in UCL University College London_The Bartlett School of Architecture.