Orbaiceta Aldaba Arquitectos and COR Architecture + Design propose a space for sharing and generating knowledge for the Laboratories and Advanced Research Building on the Tafira Campus of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The complex is articulated by two parallel rectangular volumes with a striking presence and clean lines, connected by a central landscaped courtyard with native vegetation that anchors the building to its unique surroundings.
The winning proposal opts for an east-west orientation to optimize natural light and interior flexibility, with laboratories along the exterior facades and offices towards the interior. Materially, the design seeks a dialogue between technology and tradition, with concrete, stone, and metal coexisting harmoniously.
Rendering. Advanced Research and Laboratories Building by ORBAICETA ALDABA and COR.
Project description by Orbaiceta Aldaba Arquitectos and COR Architecture + Design
Located on the Tafira Campus of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, this advanced research center is formally defined by two parallel volumes with a predominantly east-west orientation. The design strategy focuses on orienting the laboratories towards the exterior perimeter, reserving the interior for offices and meeting rooms. This arrangement embraces a large central courtyard that serves as the building's green lung and social heart, a confluence space designed to foster synergy among the various companies and researchers.
In its adaptation to the terrain, the complex is sensitively integrated into the slope of the site. This topographical intervention results in a semi-basement level that, taking advantage of the difference in elevation, houses a row of double-height workshops and technical service areas, functioning as a solid foundation for the rest of the program.
The material approach seeks an honest dialogue between technology and tradition. Concrete, stone, and metal elements coexist harmoniously, integrating native vegetation not as decoration, but as a fundamental architectural element that anchors the building to its unique surroundings.
