The project rests on four conceptual pillars as follows: [1] facing the new reality in terms of how we conceive new workspaces that enable social and commercial human to human relationships, [2] sustainability as an intrinsic part of the building, [3] rhythm and structure as a reflection of the order characteristic not only to industrial buildings, and last, but not list, [4] the defining typology of industrial facilities and our ambition to see if we can bend that typology and create something new, that does not only respond to a brief and budget, but interprets that brief in order to add value and push the boundaries of what an industrial facility is and looks like.
The 4 conceptual pillars, in reverse order, are:
#typology: normally an industrial facility of sorts operates with 3 architectural programmes: gatehouse, office building and production facility. The ambition for this project was to simplify this scheme and bring under one roof the gatehouse and the office building creating thus a new typology that allows for possible future extensions when and if needed. This new typology is supported by the third conceptual pillar which is
#rhythm+structure: the chosen structural grid makes possible not only the said extension but also, through it being very widespread and so very economic in terms of implementation as well as maintenance costs. This structural grid is taken, by our architectural proposal, to an almost absurd level making it visible all through the facades of the building. Considering the possibility of expansion, the grid sort of imposes the way the building sits on its plot and thus operates with its other elements: parking lot, accesses - pedestrian, small and medium vehicles and trucks, loading platforms, water tank, and last but not list, emergency accesses and platforms for fire department vehicles and personnel.
#sustainability as an intrinsic part of the building is the second conceptual pillar. Aside the proposed orchard - that will not only help reduce the CO2 levels but help maintain an balanced local flora and fauna as well as create a pleasant microclimate that can increase air quality around the facility, the project proposes three other intrinsic sustainable architectural features like: [1] the extensive green roof system that complements the orchard in every aspect and offers a natural way to insulate the offices, and the [2] the Veranda and the Atrium. The later are transition spaces between the indoors and outdoors that concentrate most of the buildings glazing reducing thus direct contact with the sun and facilitating natural ventilation and, as such, reducing the amount of mechanical ventilation which in turn results in less equipments, less maintenance, less energy consumption and so on. Moreover the two spaces give the building a well deserved special entrance as well as enforce our fisrt conceptual pillar:
The #newnormal situation. We tried to imagine how office spaces will look like and how they will comply to the #newnormal… we imagined and designed these offices to give priority to processes such as, but not limited to, critical analysis, creativity, and innovation - processes that can only happen through direct human-to-human communication. Also they are directly connected, on the ground floor as well as on the first floor with the veranda and through it with the orchard.
Design Team: Paul-Mihai Moldovan, Anamaria Moldovan, Marius Indrei, Lorena Katona
Collaborator[s]: Qmeck works
Design Year: 2020
Status: Competition
Execution | Completion Year: -
Location: Sibiu, Romania
Gross area: cca. 12.000 sqm
General Contractor: Conlan
Text: ateliercetrei
Photographer[s]: -