Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación. Valencia

Polytechnic City of Innovation. Valencia

En el año 2000 la U.P.V. convoca un concurso de ideas para la realización de la ciudad politécnica de la innovación I. Se trata de un edificio que pretende alojar institutos de investigación de muy diferentes necesidades hasta cubrir una superficie construida de 72.000 m2. Este concurso presento tres aspectos destacables: la situación, la necesidad de ejecutarse en tres fases independientes y la ausencia de programa pormenorizado en cada uno de los institutos.

We work with various variables when we are generating an idea: colour, form, flows, function, the climate, the light, the poles of full/empty, heavy/light, etc. They all interact in no particular order or arrangement, coming and going continuously. It is up to us to decide the relative importance of one or another, particularly when we want to convey an idea.

In the year 2000 the Polytechnic University of Valencia convened an ideas competition for the Polytechnic City of Innovation I. This is a building to house research institutes with very different requirements up to a total gross floor area of 72,000 m2. The competition presented three notable aspects: the location, the need to build in three separate stages and the lack of a detailed brief for each of the research institutes.

Promotor/Developer:
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia/Polytechnic University of Valencia

Colaboradores/Collaborators:
Daniel Camps Jambrino, arquitecto/architect
José Durán Fernández, arquitecto/architect
María Goberna Carlón, arquitecto/architect
Laura Cano Alcaraz, arquitecto/architect
Montse Vicent Giner, arquitecto/architect
Marta Skalska, arquitecto/architect
Francisco Requena, arquitecto/architect
Arquitectos Técnicos/Technical Architects
Alfredo Paredes Agullo
Vicente Rodríguez Llopis

Empresa constructora/Contractor:
Fomento de Contratas y Construcciones/Fomento de Contrata y Construcciones

Fotógrafo/Photographer:
María Bagna

Estratificación vertical la cual interviene en el aspecto formal del edificio, localizando una planta semisótano semiabierta para alojar institutos donde sea imprescindible el acceso rodado y laboratorios pesados, un zócalo de tres plantas dedicado a la investigación y unos cubos acristalados de una dos o tres plantas donde establecemos la gerencia y la administración.

Estratificación horizontal, ésta a diferencia de la anterior se localiza fundamentalmente en el zócalo. Dividiéndonos el zócalo en tres grandes zonas: laboratorios pesados, laboratorios comunes, y despachos técnicos. Conceptualmente aprovechamos esta estratificación para introducir, de forma sutil, la luz a la zona principal de investigación, entendiendo que además del control térmico la idea de los patios inducen a la concentración.

Following this introduction, we can move on to commenting on the project as an idea and as a result, although this will not be known definitively until the third stage has been built in late 2007.

The idea is to invent a general system that can accommodate very different individual briefs which are initially unknown.

The system has to allow research institutes with very different needs (heavy, light, agricultural, computer, industrial etc. laboratories) to be lodged in the building, allow each of their particular briefs the greatest possible degree of independence while remaining a single building with shared facilities and allow each of these briefs the flexibility to change in the course of time.

We finally proposed 5 basic concepts to achieve these intentions: Vertical stratification, horizontal stratification, circulation flows, spatial overlaps and, of course, natural light regulation systems.

The vertical stratification influences the formal appearance of the building: a semi-open semi-basement to accommodate institutes that require vehicular access and heavy laboratory satellites of institutes located in other parts of the building, a three-storey plinth for research and one-, two- or three-storey glazed cubes for the management and administration.

The horizontal stratification, unlike the vertical one, is mainly located in the plinth and has practically no influence on the formal aspects. It divides the plinth into three main zones: heavy laboratories, shared laboratories and technical offices. Conceptually, we took advantage of this stratification to introduce light subtly into the main research area, believing that the idea of courtyards not only helps to regulate the temperature but also induces concentration.

Circulation flows we see as what makes everything else possible. We divided them into three types of flow: Personnel bus, enabling the staff to go directly from the car park to any of the floors, whether technical or administrative. Visitor bus from common areas, courtyards and transverse and longitudinal streets, always without climate conditioning, using stairs and panoramic lifts that go directly to the third floor (management and administration) from which any of the institutes can be reached vertically without passing through any other. No doubt the idea of spaces (courtyards and circulation areas) without climate conditioning, which all our projects share, is the contribution of the Mediterranean climate to our idea of architecture. In this case there is a hall in which to walk that does not eat into the permitted surface area. Finally, the heavy traffic flow is located in a vehicle road parallel to the position of the heavy laboratories, with loading and unloading bays placed along its length.

Sistemas de iluminación natural, proponiendo luz indirecta a través de patios en la zona principal de investigación, y luz directa en la zona de administración y gerencia. El control de soleamiento donde en el zócalo se trata de forma natural con masa boscosa, mientras que en los cubos se consigue con un tratamiento continuo de una doble piel en la fachada donde la interior consigue la impermeabilidad a la vez que el aislamiento acústico y la exterior con vidrio serigrafiado consigue el control térmico. En ambos casos la idea de continuidad sea la orientación que sea nos da la posibilidad de cambio en el tiempo que incluso puedan afectar a fachada.

Otros aspectos reseñables en la idea proyectual con la que decidimos trabajar son la forma, texturas y colores...El artificio con intención de generar naturaleza donde no la hay. Un lleno único y definido, aligerado por vacíos longitudinales y transversales + un vacío definido por los limites del propio lleno, colonizado por otros llenos como sin orden aparente.

Spatial overlaps are the infinite possible results of combining the above three concepts when the two initial intentions are successful.

Natural lighting systems bring the light indirectly, through courtyards, into the main research area, which is understood as one that induces concentration, and directly into the administration and management area, as this is understood to be an area that should be more related to the exterior. Sunlight regulation is treated in a natural way in the plinth, which is screened by trees, while the cubes are protected by a continuous double skin over the façade: the inner skin provides weather-tightness and acoustic insulation while the outer skin of silk-screened glass achieves thermal control. In both cases the idea of continuity in every direction allows the possibility of changes in time, which may even affect the façade.

Other features of the project idea we decided to work on were the shape, textures and colours, as well as using existing technologies; these aspects also help the user to interpret the system. The upper curtain wall, double, has protection from direct light on the exterior and flexible distribution in the interior which, in turn, is treated in dark tones to enhance the toning down of the light. The lower curtain wall, protected in concept, has indirect light, with interiors in light tones to favour and enhance the intensity of the light.

The shape is the final result of all the above, wood solves the contact with the earth and silk-screened glass solves the nexus with the sky. Artifice is intended to generate nature where there is none.

A single, clearly-defined solid lightened by longitudinal and transverse voids + a void defined by the limits of the solid, colonised by other solids as though in no apparent order.