OFICINA EN GIJÓN

client

Private

Location

Gijón, Spain

Area

390 m²

Status

Completed

Type

Offices

An old vacant premises, unused for more than 30 years and threaded with installations, conduits, and structural columns, is converted into a workspace organized around the building’s stair core. Access is provided through a steel box that floats above the sloping pavement, from which folded-sheet stair flights descend to the lower exhibition level and rise to the first floor, where the main central space is located.

A glazed meeting room suspended over the void of the entrance hall leads, through a timber wall, into the main work area from which the rest of the program is articulated. A wooden door, carved out of the same thickness as the wall, provides access to the room. Skylights are introduced to bring natural light from the building’s courtyard; from here, one ascends to the library and to an office on the upper level. The formal language is intentionally restrained, giving prominence to light and materials. Through their use, continuity is achieved across spaces and section, working with varying scales that define and qualify each place. This mechanism creates a sense of surprise as the spaces are gradually revealed along the route.

The furniture is designed using wood panels and stainless or treated steel. Wood and steel are chosen as representative materials of the region: the forest and industry.