Expo Zaragoza building. Spain

The intended position of the Expo Building, within the project of the Metropolitan Water Park, means that the building is entrusted with the responsibility of constituting the south-eastern corner of the park in the direction of the roundabout between the avenues of Paul Ruiz Picasso and Ranillas and, consequently, initiating the sequence to the north, defining the four buildings planned in the park project.

The proposed configuration satisfies, therefore, these urban requirements and very precise specifications, both in terms of volumes as well as occupation, established in the planning. The proposal is configured by the juxtaposition of two prismatic volumes: one which corresponds to the entirety of the ground floor, and the other which, gliding over the lower, encompasses the four raised floors and the roofing. A basement floor, with an access road from the expected zone of the park project, occupies much of the parcel, devoted mostly to parking in its post-Expo use.

At the intersection between the prismatic volume of the ground floor and the vertical volume containing the four upper floors, is situated the main entrance to the building through an open courtyard, like a previous space, penetrating the overall volume of the ground floor.

The ground floor of the building establishes the agreement between the line of the Avenue and that planned for the Park (201.65), situated 30 cm above this level. Thus, from Ranillas Avenue are led steps and a pedestrian ramp, arranged in parallel to the road, except for the said difference in elevation, leading to the exterior space before the main entrance. Facing the same there is a secondary entrance from the west which would be accessed from an exterior platform located 30 cm above the level of the park. An interior courtyard, arranged transversely inside the Media Centre, allows for circulations around this space and connects to the first floor garden terrace. Efforts have been made to maximize the exterior spaces that the building itself provides.

This happens with the large patio-garden situated on the roof of the ground floor volume, or the terrace that, protected by adjustable glass slats, corresponds to the office volume. The open nature of the program of necessities that have been raised requires that the proposal emphasize its diaphanous and systematic condition, with modular components - be they structural elements, façade cladding systems, partitioning systems, technical ceilings or floors, which allow for easy operations of adaptation and adjustment during the development of the Expo, -or, a fortiori, after its completion- in its use as a building available for offices of different dimensions.