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Architects: aRE - Arquitectura en Estudio
- Area: 18277 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Llano Fotografía
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Manufacturers: Energia Solar, HID Global, Microm, Otis, Porcelanosa Grupo
Text description provided by the architects. NAOS - Business Campus is an office building located in the northern area of Bogotá, Colombia. The design focuses on providing a sustainable response to its environment and specific location, aiming to generate comfortable and healthy spaces while using natural resources in an efficient manner.
A fully glazed cladding solution maximises the entrance of natural light into working areas, lowering the requirements for artificial lighting. The curved aluminum screen that protects this fully glazed external skin controls heat gains in critical times of the day, responding to the environment with different densities between its elements according to the orientation of each facade.
These two main elements, along with fair-faced concrete walls, make up the whole of the facade, giving the building a minimalist and contemporary image. The curved corners respond to the movement and urban dynamic of its surroundings. Double height balconies house 6m tall rubber trees, a very typical species in this area, reinforcing the sustainable image of the building towards the city.
The design takes advantage of air currents coming from the east mountains to naturally ventilate internal areas through a plenum created between the ceiling and the concrete floor slabs. On warm days, air pressure opens up trap doors located on the ceilings to allow hot air to rise and be naturally expelled by the cold air current coming in from the mountains, lowering demand on mechanical ventilation systems, reducing energy consumption and guaranteeing thermal comfort inside.
The triple height entrance lobby is an extension of the public realm, with trees and benches reinforcing its urban character inside. A very restricted material palette -white calacatta marble, black ultra thin porcelain tiles (reinforced with fiberglass) and teak wood, give this space a sober and elegant character.
The texture, brightness, and luminosity of the white marble contrasts with the slick depth of the black porcelain, both complemented by the warm and natural colors and textures of the sustainably sourced timber. Signage has been embedded into the walls and ceilings to emphasize the cleanliness of the design.
The roof landscaping has been strategically designed to blur the boundaries with the city and bring the mountains closer. This space becomes a green park, packed with vegetation, hills, grass and large native trees that reduce the need for watering. Its large extension helps to harvest rainwater that will be used for bathroom supply and garden watering, while it creates an intimate relationship with nature for the people using its break out areas.
Parking areas, with their green colors and dynamic graphics, prioritize hybrid and electric vehicle parking spots, providing charging stations in some of the spots. Bicycle parking is also generously provided, and the comfortable shower and dressing room areas intend to encourage a healthy lifestyle. By combining all these strategies of energy efficiency and rationalizing the use of natural resources, the building has been pre-certified LEED Gold in the Shell & Core category.
