Salburúa Civic Center
10/09/2015.
by Gonzalo Carro for ACXT Architects [Vitoria-Gasteiz] Spain
metalocus, CLAUDIA CENDOYA
metalocus, CLAUDIA CENDOYA
The center, designed by the architect Gonzalo Carro, from the ACXT practice, is surrounded by a green outdoor recreation area. The building contains a very heterogeneus program that distributes the different activities within according to the degree of privacy required. A convergence between the urban image of the building with the functional necessity of organizing activities is therefore made. The ground floor is planned as an open space with great visual communication between the outside and the inside of the building. There is where the social program is hosted: cafeteria, auditorium, sport stands, etc.
In the upper two floors, on the contrary, the activities have a greater need for privacy: library, study room, swimming pools, changing rooms, etc. The project plays with transparency, lights and colors to give an identity to each of the rooms that make up the building.
Description of the Project by ACXT
The Civic Center is a building that combines sporting, cultural and administrative uses to service the neighborhood Salburua in Vitoria.
The project conceives the civic center as a gathering of people to carry out various social, cultural, recreational or sports activities.
The program of the building is divided into three levels:
- The ground floor has more public uses such as a café, lounge, hall, conference room, etc.
- The basement has all sports facilities except for the pool.
- The first floor has administrative areas, cultural spaces (library, study room, Infotek and workshops) and the pool with its own dressing room.
The floor conveys this concept of diffusion thanks to a glass façade through which you can see what is happening inside, and even across the street, establishing a fusion between urban space and inside the civic center, strengthening its public character.
In contrast, the first floor has a less permeable, more abstract language, avoiding the usual human scale, in order to obtain a stronger and more powerful image.
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Project Director.- Juan Luis Geijo (Project), Juan Dávila (Works)
Project Architect.- Gonzalo Carro
Collaborations.- Maria Robredo, Oscar Ferreira, Javier Manjón, Aintzane Gastelu-Iturri, Daniela Bustamante, Beatriz Pagoaga, Aitziber Olarte (Architects); Juan Luís Geijo, Juan Dávila (Project Management), Juan Dávila (Costs), Unai Mardones (Structures); Camino López, Federíco Reguero (Environmental Engineering); Elena Guezuraga, Susaeta iluminación (Lighting); Beatriz Lorenzo (Public Health Services); Elena Guezuraga (Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications); Beatriz Lorenzo (Fire Strategy); Itziar Ramírez, Arrate López de Maturana, Gorka Arceniaga, Marta García (CAD); Edurne Jiménez de Aberasturi, Emma Luna, Josune Moreno (Administration).
Site Supervision.- Gonzalo Carro, María Robredo
Construction Execution Management.- Juan Dávila, Sara Barredo
Site Managament.- Sara Barredo
Client.- Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council
Area.- 12.840 sqm
Gonzalo Carro Lopez. Graduate of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra, specialising in urban planning. He joined IDOM in 2002 and has been a partner since 2012.
His professional career at IDOM has focused on the execution of unique architectural projects, mainly new construction projects interspersed with some refurbishment projects, for both public and private clients. His most notable completed works include the Historical Archive of the Basque Country, the laboratory building at Cruces University Hospital, the UPV Science Park Headquarters, BTEK - Technology Interpretation Centre, the Salburua Civic Centre, the BioCruces research institute and the recently completed refurbishment of the Bizkaia Tower in Bilbao.
He is currently managing, among others, the construction of the new headquarters and pharmaceutical plant of FAES Farma, the new headquarters of Distribuidora Farmacéutica Guipuzcoana, a three-star hotel in San Sebastián, the social club and grandstands of the rugby grounds of the Atlético San Sebastián club, as well as a sports centre and arena on the campus of the UDEM in Monterey, Mexico.
Throughout his professional career he has received recognition and awards such as Archdaily Building of the Year 2009, Building of the Year Plataforma Arquitectura 2009, First Prize Lamp Lighting Solution 2010, Honourable Mention at the Sao Paulo Architecture Biennial, Honourable Mention at the AR Awards, finalist at the WAN 2016 and Architizer A+Awards 2016, winner at the WAF 2016, Veteco 2018, Chicago Athenaeum 2020 or recently the NAN 2021 in the category of rehabilitation. His work has featured in numerous prestigious national and international publications.