STATUS
IDEA
CLIENT
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
TYPOLOGY
Education
SIZE M2/FT2
24,600 / 264,792
SHARE
Umbracle in Catalan means something that provides shade. Rather than creating a building plus a pergola, BIG proposes to do both in one single move for the new building of Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST). By setting the building back at ground level, BIG creates a single, generous, sheltered public plaza at the foot of BIST. On the back, it gently retracts to preserve urban continuity.
Default Volume & Ground Condition
— The BIST default condition proposes a 9 story building with a corner entrance at the south and significant presence at Trias Fargas. Currently, the ground floor consists of different public spaces that seem to fragment rather than congregate the public realm.
AGORA + BIST
— Rather than creating a split solution for the BIST and for the Agora, we propose that BIST and AGORA are one. By setting back the building at ground level the Agora becomes a single generous public plaza sheltered by the building - one meaningful united public space for the BIST and the UPF Campus.
Urban Continuity
— The building gently retracts at ground to align with the UPF building and metro entrance, preserving sidewalk continuity and alignment with Cerdas. As the building gradually expands, it leans towards the park creating an arcade facing Trias Fargas, welcoming the BIST community at the north/park side as well.
Expanding BIST, Expanding Atrium
— Rather than being vertical, the atrium expands as the building grows. Aside from bringing natural light and ventilation, it incentivizes physical interaction as it creates cascading plateaus, stairs and breakout spaces connecting top to bottom.
Social Heart
— In the heart of the building, on the north and south side of the atrium, are the main areas dedicated to meetings and occasional encounters. Facing the park are spaces dedicated to open offices, hot desking or other work constellations. Facing the agora are spaces for creative and informal activities.
Rational, Pragmatic & Flexible Labs
— The labs are designed as two pragmatic building blocks flanking the social space. The wetlabs, facing north/park, are stacked vertically for loads, vibration and shafts optimization purposes, whereas dry labs labs face the Agora.
Lobby as Connector / Portico
— Rather than creating an underground courtyard to the UPF, the Agora+Lobby provide that connection together. The Agora tilts gently towards the building entrance and continues descending to the UPF. Aside from gaining additional height, the lobby becomes a key hub of the campus, the crossroad of Agora-Park and UPF-Wellington.
Parking, Columns & Trees
— Rather than proposing a different structure requiring transfers, we use the pre-existing parking columns as basis to our design. This economy of resources enables us to avoid expenditure below and instead allocate the financial investment above. The columns pierce the Agora to support the building, creating a forest of columns augmented by a forest of trees, a symbiosis between nature & man-made.
Plaza Below, Terraces Above
— BIST is a social building at its corer, promoting interactions inside and outside. At ground the city block recesses to create a generous public plaza, above we propose outdoor terraces dedicated to the BIST community, overseeing the Agora, city and sea.
L´Umbracle
— L´Umbracle is envisioned as a new social, educational and scientific center for BIST, UPF and Barcelona. The chamfered city block creates and shelters a new urban center - the Agora - while breeding a creative and experimental laboratory hub sustained by a dream-like forest of columns and trees.
The forest of columns is augmented by a grid of trees, a symbiosis between natural & man-made. The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology also celebrates vernacular adaptations to Barcelona’s architectural values, with the use of traditional constructive methods, as the volta catalana.
Inside, the atrium increases in size creating terraces that enable the community to mingle and engage. The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology is the home to 4 institutions, dedicated to research of medical sciences, including laboratories, offices, and synergy spaces. The design is based on the pre-existing parking grid, as a highly pragmatic structural system.
Bjarke Ingels Agustin Perez-Torres Gonzalo Auger Portillo Julieta Muzzillo Nandi Lu Ulla Hornsyld Wei Lesley Yang João Albuquerque Giulia Frittoli Marcel Götz Jose Gomez Carbonell Lena Mariella von Buren
COLLABORATORS
IDOM
