The building's organization, designed by ATELIER ARS, stems from a reinterpretation of the sawtooth industrial roof, which articulates the large bottling hall and facilitates the controlled entry of natural light. To the east, a wing houses offices and laboratories, linked to a system of interior slopes and a longitudinal portico that provides pedestrian access between the building and the rest of the complex.
The construction proposal combines industrial systems with traditional regional techniques and materials. The metal structure supports a roof clad in ceramic tiles, which, together with the load-bearing walls, brick buttresses, and references to the Catalan vault, create a hybrid architecture that blends tradition and contemporary design.
Inside, handcrafted glass filters the natural light, generating a soft and evocative atmosphere for the spaces dedicated to the storage and bottling of spirits.
Warehouse and offices for Clase Azul by Atelier ARS. Photograph by César Béjar.
Project description by ATELIER ARS
Warehouse and offices for Clase Azul
When we were commissioned to build a warehouse and offices for a tequila company, and after visiting the site – a typical Mexican volcanic landscape- we thought that the building, despite its scale, could reduce its presence to better relate to the surrounding landscape. For this reason, we decided to bury part of the building on a large-scale excavation –a typical land art operation– in relation to the original topography, to create an expanded platform where the building could be placed. Since it is a production architecture, we decided to use a classic industrial form - the sawtooth roof - which was resolved with a steel structure and different types of traditional ceramic pieces. Hereby, the building is presented as a hybrid that combines regional elements, such as Catalan vaults, load-bearing walls and brick buttresses, along with typical industrial forms such as trusses, steel columns and large glazed windows inside.
Viewed from the east, the warehouse appears as a “ceramic horizon” as its roof is clad with clay bricks that descend to the natural level of the terrain, creating a topographical relationship with the site, blurring the boundaries between architecture and landscape. This idea is reinforced by the fact that the roof collects rainwater and channels it towards the surrounding infiltration gardens, making the building form part of the masterplan’s ecological infrastructure. The language of the north, south and west facades, is a grammar described by buttresses, load-bearing walls and sawtooth roofs. The use of ceramic elements typical of the region and stone product of site excavation -in addition to providing economic benefits to the region- contributes to keep alive traditional knowledge, and testifies a ritualized construction part of our tradition, that makes the region’s mineral substrate visible.
Inside the nave, through the sawtooth, the light is softened using artisanal glass that controls the glare intensity, creating an ethereal atmosphere characteristic of distillery warehouses. The offices and laboratories are in the eastern bay of the nave which has a particular relationship with the system of interior slopes and houses a longitudinal portico that functions as a pedestrian connection between the building and the rest of the complex. In this way, in addition to containing production and work areas, the building also manages to integrate into people's daily lives.
