CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTECHNICS
Center for Research and Development of Ecotechnics (.DWF version)
The project has five main buildings, the experimental biological laboratory, the ecotechnics research laboratory, the veterinary laboratory, the administration building and the seminar unit.
This three laboratories stand for the three most important areas of the general project that need care on the San Gregorio National Park - the animals, the plants and the environment-.
The experimental and research laboratories are placed one next to another because of the compatibility of activities. One of the areas they share it is the controlled growing greenhouse, in wich experiments will be performed on different types of grounds and fertilizers to be used, the diversity of plants that can be grown on self-sufficient houses, times of growth, etc. The other shared element between this two buildings it's the one called computer laboratory, in wich it will be found the network server of the center for research, as well as the peripherical devices of general use, wich it wouldn't be affordable to assign for each researcher (photocopier, laser printers, photograph printers, slides generator, scanner, backup tapes for the server, etc.)
The veterinary laboratory it is separated because it requires, besides beeing closer to the aviary (birds' recovery area), different spaces from those other two laboratories.
The administrative area of the center for research will be the general administration of the center (even when every laboratory will have its own coordinator), and it will also have an interviewing area for the researchers (main room), this will be a comfortable zone in wich the researchers can receive visitors and chat; asf or the shape, it would be a trapeze, approximately 50 cm (20 in) under the floor level from the rest of the administration wich, besides visually aisolating the area, it generates embracing and delightful interior spaces with sofas, tables, chairs, coffe table, etc.
The seminar unit it is a big room wich can be divided into three independent conferences rooms with individual access for each one of them; the restrooms for this rooms will be near the access.
The long overhang of the roof at the south complex prevent the direct pass through of the sun rays. On the north complex they exist mainly for a formal matter, besides slightly protecting from the sun at the East.
The two complexes of buildings join by a main square at the center and three vertex with squares on each one; At the sculpture at the center of the project, there will be stone seats around it, generating an open rest area.
This sculpture symbolize the three elements from the concept: - the animals, the plants and the environment- united to man (through the four sliced cylinders facing the center); it would have river stone around it.
The paved walksides with pergolas pretend to give the ideas of walking through "artificial trees" (in an abstract way) that provide shadow and make walking nicer; There will be plants over the pergolas that will form a natural umbrella between them to reinforce the idea of trees.
There will be a very important link with the housing project wich won't be developed in this proposal, but it will be conceptually identical to this project.
This project counts also with its own parking, wich will ease the access, for the personal that works in the center (10 places), as well for the assistants to the events of the seminar unit (20 places total). The parking will be located to the East, between the two complexes (north and south).
The illumination will be through the use of solar lamps (with fotocells) for the ecological park in general; at the center of research the exterior illumination of the main square, the parking and sidewalks, it will be through the use of indirect light from lamps placed by the bottom of the pergolas; in the buildings it will be used sunlight for as long as possible taking advantage of the orientation, plus hanging lamps in the inside wich provide direc and indirect illumination.
