Duoc Corporate Building / Sabbagh Arquitectos

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This project was awarded at the World Architecture Festival as the best building in the Office category. Congratulations to Sabbagh Arquitectos!

Architects: Sabbagh ArquitectosJuan Sabbagh P., Mariana Sabbagh P., Juan Pedro Sabbagh B., Felipe Sabbagh B., Marcial Olivares B.
Location: Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Collaborators: Mario Zamorano  V.
Site Area: 9,954 sqm
Constructed: 12,000 sqm
Contractor: Socovesa Ingeniería y Construcción S.A.
Photographs: Sabbagh Arquitectos


After the requirement of a building for the central offices of Duoc, there were four additional topics which were essential and needed to be solved. The first one, was the fact that the building’s location was in the yard of Antonio Varas branch, former German School and typical building of the neighborhood. The second problem was the coexistence of a functional activities program to requirements of surface and the relationship with the image of a corporate building for an educational institution of “Universidad Católica de Chile”. The third problem was the constant change in the use of public spaces typical of an institution in permanent transformation and renovation. Finally, the necessity of a public place for the recreation of the students.

A fifteen stores tower that takes the ground level yard shape is designed and is taken to the upper floor. A band was thought for this purpose. This band is originated in a series of continuous bends, like an arabesque that conceptualizes and abstracts the idea of the branches and foliage of a tree. It goes all the way from the first floor to the last one defining the outer spaces and the double heights of the inners.

The empty spaces of the building are yards that are used as an extension of the educational and public areas and at the same time as a space to be related with the landscape.

This continued band is intercepted by a grid, an octagonal weft of pillars and girder which are the frame and building’s support which is exposed and are part of the expressive definition of the project. Because of the later development of the building’s structure, the explicit evidence of the band is lost. Keeping it’s trade on the disposition of the fullness and emptiness of the current volumetry.

The purpose of the empty spaces of the building is to allow the people to climb the urban weft in order to reach places to have a perfect view of the city. At the same time, this allows the continued sight through the openings.

The building’s plants look for their best efficiency organized like a regular structural weft of pillars which disposition facilitates the program’s resolution. The vertical core of the elevators, steps and humid zones are displaced from the axle to the south front of the building encompassing the circulations and services areas. This disposition is reflected in the volume and fronts.

The first and second floors are clear spaces that allow the continuity of the down yard of the building.

The closing of the front is conformed by a coat. A first shutting, has windows in all the establishments to incorporate natural ventilation. And a second shutting, like a screen made of reflective and pigmented , to control the radiation and the thermic transmission. These shuttings are joined like a knitting so that its reflection gives a volumetric texture to the vertical plane of the building’s front. This texture allows the educational building to look alive and be connected to the city.

 
 
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Travis says:

Fantastic!

 
# November 6, 2008 at 23:11
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Javi says:

the best!!!

 
# November 7, 2008 at 09:25
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The Bhoye says:

I love this idea, inspiring!

 
# November 10, 2008 at 02:18
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keith says:

wow

 
# November 10, 2008 at 03:47
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夜绮神木子 says:

“This band is originated in a series of continuous bends, like an arabesque that conceptualizes and abstracts the idea of the branches and foliage of a tree.” WHERE IT IS?IT IS NOT A STRONG CONCEPT.

 
# December 28, 2008 at 04:58
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Carlos says:

It is a good looking building. It onterior design layout I take as a concept(testfit) only so I will not comment on its space space planning flaws. It is worh mentioning that the idea is not that original, and it is based very literally on the “One George Street”/Singapore building by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which is a very good example of an office building suitable to a tropical environment (1 degree North of the Equator).

 
# April 11, 2009 at 08:55
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fab says:

夜绮神木子, its not a concept at all, its just that some usually call as “selling the idea filling the page with some prety words”
We all know that there is nothing new here.

 
# May 5, 2009 at 22:46
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thiago says:

the wholes reminds me the best building in Brazil in my opinion..
Edifício sede Petrobrás, Rio de Janeiro, by a group of young brasilian architects in the 60ties…
see the link above

 
# May 7, 2009 at 11:07
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fab says:

thats it, its reminds a good building that could have been built more than 40 years ago.
Easy to recognize when they start using too much “like a” or “like an”, words used to explain something that is intendet to fit with, but not a strong concept that actually “is” instead of “being like a”.
Its different if an architect owns a strong concept, then the building “is” and not “is like a”.

 
# May 7, 2009 at 22:13
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ade says:

….We all know that there is nothing new here.

“only GOD can create something new”

 
# May 26, 2009 at 21:36
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fab says:

??
is this about religion now?

anyway if this were the case, and they are selling their idea like something only god can do (pretentious writing about ideas that are supposed to be new), and it has not even been touched by an angel, so thats bad…

Why always so pretentious? why can they not just be honest and say: we done this kind of usual stuff but with this shape, to achieve this and that, over.
Always coming up with something like ” an arabesque that conceptualizes and abstracts the idea of the branches and foliage of …”, writings will not make the building better nor more original than it is.

 
# May 27, 2009 at 04:21
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Carlos says:

Going back to the chain of possible precedents, I agree with Thiago about the Petrobras building in Rio de Janeiro, which I think is an excellent building adapted to its climatic context. Simple yet strong concept, with lots of basic sustainable design ideas.

 
# June 6, 2009 at 08:08

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