Local Health Care Centre in San Blas, Madrid

Some years ago, GEASYT performed building services and structures design for the Local Health Care Centre in San Blas project, work of the architects estudio.entresitio:  María Hurtado de Mendoza Wahrolén, César Jiménez de Tejada Benavides y José María Hurtado de Mendoza Wahrolén.

© Roland Halbe

The project, selected to be part of the Spain 2007 monographic issue published by the prestigious magazine Architectura Viva, was also finalist of the tenth edition of the Bienal de Arquitectura ; prize granted by the Ministry of Housing with the goal of spreading and circulating Spanish architecture. Entresitio was chosen as Design Vanguard studio by the well renowed north american magazine Architectural Record in 2007.

The description of the project by the architects is presented below, you can download the complete file, with photos by Roland Halbe, from their website.

The healthcare centre San Blas works with the idea of a “placeless building” like a very effective and categorical kind of way to develop a functional healthcare program situated in an almost irrelevant environment.

To underline the space richness in its interiors, we fell back on the corbusian idea of “conciliation of contraries”.  A hermetic and massive exterior is put into contrast with the interior open and light space.  To obtain this, we not only work with tracks in order to compose a clear functional program, but also with the array of possibilities that materials such as concrete, glass and tiles give us.

In contrast to this light system, fragmented by courtyards, the massive and closed facade is perceived as a thick and blind mass of fairfaced concrete.  The inexistence of apertures in the vertical panels of the exterior jacket, provokes that the interior-exterior relation of the building is perceived vertically, stretching out to reach the sky.  The translucence and reflective characteristics of the glass multiplies the views due to the reflected symmetry and combined with the reflective properties of the vertical panels of blue tiles disposed like shingles that help to conjure up a spacious and bright interior ambiance, almost as if the firmament was becoming part of the interior.

Check out the teaser of the video-interview by StudioBanana.tv, you can catch the full interview here.

Landscaped Pyramids in Raimundo Fernández Villaverde 8, Madrid

As mentioned in our previous article, GEASYT participated in the project and construction works for the conditioning of the roof of the building situated in Raimundo Fernández Villaverde 8, Madrid; which is managed by Madrid Espacios y Congresos.

The building is two floors high and the roof is landscaped in order to reduce the visual impact of the building’s services machines. With this in mind, a series of pyramidal volumes made out of steel with circular cross-sections are designed to contain the equipment.

The exterior surfaces on the sides of the pyramids are designed in order to provide correct ventilation to the equipment located inside through a steel grid; as well as holding a small garden, held inside stainless steel flowerpots, with elix variegatade, teucrium fructican, escallonia macrantha and spiraea van houitei.

The pyramids’ roofs are covered with tramex and artificial turf.

The building’s roof is covered with white fine gravel and pine bark in triangular sections, allowing for transit through flagstone-covered walkways.

The inside of the pyramids is perfectly conditioned for the equipment’s maintenance, with individual lighting for each pyramid.

In conclusion, the landscaping of the building’s roof in order to reduce the visual impact of the building’s services equipment is considered a success, with integration of green areas into a space previously in disuse.

Palacio de Cibeles, new space for culture and new Town Hall

As you probably know already, the refurbishment of the Palacio de Cibeles is almost over. GEASYT took part in this project as building services engineering, where the computer simulations used to design the HVAC system for the Galería de Cristales (a 2500 m2 glass-covered courtyard) stand out.

We would like to remind you that the Palacio de Cibeles (CentroCentro) is open to the public until the 27th of July 2011. Opening hours are from tuesday to sunday, from 10.00 to 20.00. The building is accessed through the main entrance in Plaza de Cibeles and the following exhibits may be visited: «Habitantes y paseantes» on the first floor, «El Palacio de Cibeles» on the second foor and the photo-exhibit on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floor: «Muller-Campano: the refurbishment of the Palacio de Cibeles». The viewpoint on the top of the tower is also open to the public, as well as the auditorium on the first basement (more info, in Spanish).

Take a look at our photo gallery to see some of the new spectactular areas.

The view from the top of the tower is amazing, here is a small video preview.