The design for the administrative headquarters of Carglass, a British automotive glass company, had the intention to create a large structure, similar to an industrial hangar, but with unique and striking characteristics able to denote the use of the building.

Carglass Administrative Headquarters - Conceptual diagram, drawing courtesy AUM arquitetos

Carglass Administrative Headquarters - Conceptual diagram, drawing courtesy AUM arquitetos

The trapezoidal configuration of the site and the care of local law suggested an unusual implantation. To differentiate the building of the factory environment, the main facade, facing the northwest face of intense sunlight, was conceived staggered, creating through this geometry a volume of strong branding.

Carglass Administrative Headquarters, image courtesy AUM arquitetos

Each module has a structural steel truss, which sets a closing tilted metallic tile, which by its design eliminates the need of "brise soleis". This configuration allows the creation of rips in the cover, which promote natural lighting inside the building. The rear facade, facing the southeast side, has a large window that releases the view to the beautiful local landscape.

Carglass Administrative Headquarters, image courtesy AUM arquitetos

The building has two floors, a ground floor and a mezzanine, together with two internal courtyards, which generates diversity in its interior and a wealth of space. The structural modulation and the environments' amplitude allow great flexibility in layout. At both borders, in the largest part of the building were leased closed volumes which bring together the sanitary and other technical areas required.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Carglass Administrative Headquarters
Location: Santana de Parnaíba, SP, Brazil
Site area: 5.302,10m²
Built area: 4.380,00m²
Project year: 2009
Materials: Metal and concrete

Architect: AUM arquitetos – André Dias Dantas, Bruno Bonesso Vitorino e Renato Dalla Marta
Project Team: Filipe Dória, Filipe Romeiro, Gregory Canfield, Aline Pek and Maíra Baltrusch
General Contractor: Carbone Engenharia
Structure Engineer: Estrutural Engenharia
Photographs: Maíra Acayaba

+ All images, drawings and description courtesy of AUM arquitetos

The architecture studio A-cero presents one of its last works about a big single-family house. It takes place in the outskirts of Madrid on a 5000m2 plot. It is a single storey building and it has a 1.600 m2 built surface.

Concrete House II, image courtesy A-cero

The first sensation that this house produces when people go into the plot is that the building seems to be hidden between concrete walls and vegetable ramps that extend up to the roof. They are dyed in dark gray and contain, between them, vegetation areas that seem to climb towards the sky. The house´s façade show a spectacular organic view of the whole house and so even the hard concrete shows its most kind face.

Concrete House II, image courtesy A-cero

The back front of the house is totally opened towards the garden where the lounge, dining room, library, study and bedrooms are. In this façade the wide windows, the volumes set and the projections (made of concrete too enhance. These elements cover the several house´s porches. The large window of the main lounge hides itself automatically in order to make this stay completely opened to the exterior areas.

Concrete House II, image courtesy A-cero

The plot includes also an elegant garden, a small lake and a pádel track.

The ecological aspect is very in this A-cero´s work: the façade and the roof have the main ecological roles because they are covered with low consume vegetation. Furthermore on the house´s roof has been implemented a renewable energy system made of wide surfaces with solar tubular collectors who allow that the energy autonomy of the house.

Concrete House II, image courtesy A-cero

+ Project credits / data

Architect: A-cero
Project: Concrete House II
Location: Madrid, Spain

+ Project description, all drawings and images courtesy of A-cero