INSTITUTE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS, OVIEDO

client

AE CSIC – State Agency of the Spanish National Research Council

Location

Oviedo, Spain

Area

4.977,62 m²

Status

Completed

Type

Life Sciences

The Asturias Dairy Products Institute is conceived as a building with a clear and compact geometry, where the facade plays a fundamental role in the relationship between architecture and its surroundings. The solar protection screens act as a second skin onto which the changing shadows of the trees surrounding the centre are projected, incorporating the landscape as an active part of the building’s image.

The proposal organizes the programme by differentiating the public areas from the research zones, which are more private and controlled, establishing a transition between them through the central lobby and atrium. This space acts as the spatial heart of the building, connecting the entrances and becoming a meeting place capable of hosting exhibitions, rest areas, and knowledge exchange.

An interior landscaped courtyard with two levels, with a clear Mediterranean character, brings natural light into the offices and meeting rooms, giving the interior research spaces an intimate and quiet atmosphere. The dining room-kitchen-office located on the ground floor is designed between the façade and the courtyard, with direct access to it, allowing users to go outside to eat and/or rest in the landscaped courtyard in good weather. Vegetation, glass, and cross ventilation bring the exterior closer to the interior, creating a more comfortable research environment. Thus, the architecture combines functional precision and environmental sensitivity, creating a space where science coexists with light and landscape.