-
Architects: Grupo ARKHOS
- Year: 2013
-
Photographs:Jorge Taboada Morón
Text description provided by the architects. The PIT3 project is for the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Chihuahua Campus. It is a research and innovation center. It is a project that serves the Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering university degrees, two of the newest and most innovative careers offered in the TEC system, and part of the Technology Parks scheme driven by TEC. The building should reflect a pioneering and innovative design.
Furthermore, the commitment made toward Sustainability in the TEC system, prompted us to seek LEED Gold certification in the construction of this project.
The faceted geometry of the building takes influence from "Stealth" technology used in aviation and the aggressive lines used in sports cars.
We have one of the largest green roofs of Mexico, with about 2500 m2, over the laboratory buildings of the project. These gardens are irrigated with treated water from the same building.
The building design allows enough natural light for offices and laboratories, so that they can operate without turning the lights on almost all day. And photovoltaic panels provide energy for the lighting of common areas.
The buildings are located around a central plaza, which has as its focal point a construction tower from the late nineteenth century, which was once a hospital that burned down in the mid-twentieth century, and is listed by the INAH.
The 10-story tower has its main access at the center of the square, under a cantilevered volume, which generates a covered atrium 3 levels high. This creates a space for constant interaction between offices users, students, and researchers from the laboratories.
Mainly, as this institute is a place of learning and research, what better way to teach by example, offering users an environment with countless strategies to conserve energy and natural resources, applied to the same areas where they work and learn.
