PUCV School of Biochemical Engineering building in Región de Valparaíso, Chile, is designed for Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso by Architects Fernando Miranda Monreal, José Requesens Aldea, Juan Pavez Aguilar (Structure by Luis Della Valle Solari) and was constructed by Bravo e Izquierdo Ltda. The structure is monolithic and iconic due to its concrete façade which is like a wall of concrete panels with a grid-like pattern of tie-hole impressions. The façade extends to the 6th floor with an opening for the entrance and the way to the underground parking in the right corner of the ground level. The building is distinctive and elusive; it is designed to provide a distinct internal space that personifies the nature of the institution and its complex systems.
Design / design philosophy/design solutions
The design philosophy of the building is sustainability through biomimicry, the façade system is dominant and protects from the environment factors and the spatial layout is based on the site context requirements, The structure is similar to self-cooling mounds built by termites, where cool air circulates and escapes through openings at the top levels. The central public space of the building consists of the circulatory path and the void through which a system of natural daylight, ventilation, and energy conservation successfully operates. The main entrance of the building extends into a large collective public space that is around 20 ft wide and 50 ft, and this space is like a starting point for a path that unfolds into various program spaces. The building is an educational institution and occupies a total of 4830 m2 with programs dealing with research labs, classrooms, an auditorium, faculty offices, a cafe, a library and restrooms.
Design/planning / program/basements
The ground floor has a ramp to the underground parking lot and the entrance to the main building. The first level of the basement consists of a cellar, laboratory manager, service lab, and laundry area directly under the ramp while the media lab, cellar spaces, computer workshops, fermentation laboratory, recovery laboratory, and environmental engineering lab reside around the public access path. The second basement below this level consists of service-oriented spaces like the cellar archive, electric steam boiler room, storage, warehouse attention unit, garbage room, and restrooms. These basement levels consist of the primary mechanical areas which are connected to a channel of voids for the services boiler, extractor sector, and clinical gas enclosures; these levels make the building’s mechanical, plumbing, ventilation, and electrical services functional.
Design/planning / program/floor 1 – 6
The public spaces of the building reside on the ground floor, and the program extends up to the 6th floor in context to the requirements. The ground floor is defined as a central public space surrounded by programs like the electric room, auditorium, computer lab, control center, surveillance room, copy library, classroom, office, cafeteria, kitchen, and restrooms. The above levels are defined by the allocation of various spaces connected by a circulatory path and a central void space that looks down to the ground level. The second level has an autoclave room, cellars, and three classrooms; this level mainly consists of lab spaces dealing with services, biocatalysts, bioreactors, environmental engineering, and crops/ foods. The third level consists of the postgraduate lab, postdoctoral researcher’s room, 2 postgraduate classrooms, researcher’s room, cell cultures labs, service laboratory, and restrooms. The fourth level has a large terrace area and is mostly focused on the faculty with rooms for Post-doctoral researchers, career counseling, teaching, microscopy, postgraduate director, and 4 professor offices. The fifth level has ten professor offices, an Industrial support lab, a molecular biological lab, kitchen, and restrooms. The top level consists of rooms for the council, directors, assistant directors, meetings, and three professor offices.
Materials / Construction / Structure
The building is built on a structural frame of reinforced concrete; it is innovative by using non-orthogonal central beams to frame a tapered central space that creates a central void. The building façade is a high quality, smooth finish concrete that is similar to the works of “Tadao Ando.” A structure of high-grade “architectural concrete” finish requires superior formwork assembly, casting techniques, and controlled working environments and procedures. The fine crack-control joint details in the large 6-storied façade wall require high-quality formwork and high-precision construction techniques. Problems of mixed ingredients, excessive air cavities, lift lines, concrete degradation, and uneven surface also surface while trying to create high-quality exposed concrete structures. The use of lightweight concrete, release agents in interior formworks, superplasticizers for desired viscosity, and repetitive trial works are often necessary to limit quality control issues. The two levels of basements and the six above-ground floors are ingeniously connected through the use of 2 elevators and 2 sets of vertical staircases, while a set of linear staircases from the fourth to the fifth and the sixth floor create dynamic contrasts and add significance to the upper levels.
Sustainability / Resilience
The PUCV School of Biochemical Engineering Building is built around a design philosophy of Resilience and sustainability. The building façade is a resilient solid barrier that is built in response to the effects of corrosive salt content in the environment, the strong wind loads, and the damages that it can inflict. The building is also built around a central void and circulatory space which results in daylight exposure, ventilation, and reduced energy conservation. The open skylight promotes daylight which results in less use of electricity, and the building can have an open ventilation system as hot air rises out, reducing energy costs. The central void and circulation cover a significant part of the structure, thus effectively promoting sustainability and carbon neutrality through its biophilic and human-centric design.
Reference
- Valenzuela, K. (2015) PUCV School of Biochemical Engineering Building / juan pavez aguilar + José Requesens Aldea + Fernando Miranda Monreal, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/771968/pucv-school-of-biochemical-engineering-building-juan-pavez-aguilar-plus-jose-requesens-aldea-plus-fernando-miranda-monreal (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
- Prieto, C. (2022) Building near the sea: Façade solutions for greater durability, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/989660/building-near-the-sea-facade-solutions-for-greater-durability (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
- (No date) Examining methods of concrete construction in a tadao ando … – IJIMT. Available at: http://www.ijimt.org/vol9/817-CM0004.pdf (Accessed: 12 July 2023).
