elemental casts concrete innovation center UC in chile around open core

elemental casts concrete innovation center UC in chile around open core
photo © nico saieh
all images courtesy of elemental

the ‘innovation center UC –  anacleto angelini’ results from a desire to foster exchanges of knowledge in order to enhance business opportunities, by providing a facility where various companies and researchers could collaborate. this unique architectural type prompted a design, by architecture office elemental, which engendered interaction and mixed diverse types of work (i.e. formal, informal, individual, collective) together.

in regards to its composition, the mid-rise structure takes a critical position against the glass curtain wall typology common all across the globe, which performs poorly in many climates including santiago, chile where it is located. sited on the universidad católica de chile campus, the monolithic concrete building places its mass towards the outside, while a full height void opens up the center of the volume. the form features protruding and subtracted blocks that provide diversity in the layout and deep, tall porches amongst the façades.

large voids throughout the monolithic perimeter provide outdoor patios and indirect daylight to interiors
photo © nina vidic

the building’s distinctive composition and uniform materiality were also selected with the intention for sustained relevance. the design team, led by architect alejandro aravena, describes, ‘we thought that the biggest threat to an innovation center is obsolescence; functional and stylistic obsolescence. so the rejection of the glass façade was not only due to the professional responsibility of avoiding an extremely poor environmental performance, but also a search for a design that could stand the test of time.’

the building provides facilities for businesses and researchers to collaborate
photo © kim courreges

in regards to function and style, the building’s desired ‘timelessness’ was conceived, ‘as if it was an infrastructure more than architecture.’ concrete provides sustained durability, while legible forms and a clear formal composition resist the project appearing dated.

the building’s composition is contrary to the common glass curtain wall type, and performs better in santiago’s climate
photo © nico saieh

the concrete mass protrudes at certain corners
photo © nico saieh

photo © nico saieh

while massive around its perimeter, the structure features an open atrium at its core
photo © nico saieh

the layouts seek to engender interaction, and mix diverse modes of working
photo © nico saieh

photo © nico saieh

the innovation center joins the universidad católica de chile campus in santiago
photo © nina vidic

photo © nina vidic

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project info:

location: santiago, chile
design phase: 2011‐2012
construction phase: 2012 ‐2014
site area: 455,351 sqm (san joaquin campus’ area)
total floor area: 8,176 sqm (building area) 12,494 sqm (parking area)
cost: 18 million USD
client: grupo angelini, pontificia universidad católica de chile
architects: elemental (alejandro aravena, juan cerda, gonzalo arteaga, víctor oddó, diego torres)
collaborators: samuel gonçalves, cristián irarrázaval, álvaro ascoz, natalie ramirez, christian lavista, suyin chia, pedro hoffmann
structural engineering: mario alvarez ‐ sirve S.A.
electrical engineering: carlos gana ‐ ingenieria y proyectos ICG y cía. ltda
mechanical engineering: sirve S.A.
site supervision: juan cerda
energy efficiency: bustamante y encina asesorías en sustentabilidad
independent revision: gerardo sepúlveda – S&C revisores de edificación
plumbing engineering: vivanco y vega ltda.
air‐conditioning consultant: gustavo concha – A&P ingeniería
photography: nico saieh, nina vidic, kim courreges