1.1.1

SGAE Central Office Wall - Urban Filter

Ensamble Studio

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

2009

1.1.2

-The wall is filled with rock slabs to allow natural light to enter the entryway. It provides privacy from the public park. At night, light is emitted from the inside, and exits through the wall onto the public park. This night light is artificial, usually red or blue.

- Within the wall is an entryway to a private commercial space. It also acts as a social space for private events.

- The wall faces a public park, but contains holes for a view from the interior

- The wall is located between a private garden and a public green area. It sits behind urban space of a 'historical city.'

- The surrounding edges are removed from the city edge, and placed on public space/park. The wall is accessed from the park. 

- Approaching the wall:

- The wall has gaps but can look into the space. It is easier to look out of the wall, than into it, depending on the external light conditions

- The other side of the wall can be observed when looking on the side view of the wall.

- From afar, the wall looks to structurally be held up on its own, but up close, it has bars to hold it together.

- What the wall wants to be: A source of light, a curtain of privacy, a sculpture-like quality, creates a transition space

1.1.3

- Wall thickness - changes to have uniform thicknesses (in areas) within the building. I like the idea of having a line of a wall type opposite one almost completely different (see above). The truth to the materials and process are maintained in the construction.

- Floor/ceiling/roof thickness - Ensamble studio uses a tiled/concrete roof which contrasts the material of the wall, but is a monolithic tectonic to appear as a single slab. The change in materials confirms the change in plane. High roofs. The walls have an either translucent or semi-opaque quality to them

-Openings - Large entrances, small doors. This provides a welcoming and open exterior, but a private interior appearance from the entryway. The interior corridors are long and direct.

-Passageways - I really like the idea of wide passageways, almost like social meeting areas, like the entrance way to SGAE CO. The ability to see the other side of the passage, and space a person is heading towards is more inclusive to all the people.

-Dimension of rooms - Large rooms, divided by translucent walls allows light to travel. More meeting spaces, rather than individual spaces.

- Interactive components - Large corridors, meeting rooms, social spaces (like outside entryway) creates both private and public interactive spaces for people

- Habitable space within the threshold spaces - The main habitable space in SGAE CO is behind a CD wall, and is unexpected. 

-Scale of people - The entry wall looks to be about 6m high, so the scale of people are small. I like this idea of small people in a large area, then areas with shorter roofs confining the person.

1.1.4 

Materials

Rock wall is made of Mondariz Grey Stone, held together by iron rods

CD Wall

Glass wall

Stone