Chilexpress Building : Architecture Information + Images

Chilexpress, Parque ENEA, Santiago (R.M.) 2005 Guillermo Hevia H Architects Photographs by Cristián Barahona unless stated otherwise Building Materials Reinforced concrete at sight, steel and glass ( curtain walls serigraphiated and indoors offices fronts) Metallic beams and trusses. Covers and linings of metallic pre fabricated stainless steel panels, with inner polyurethane isolation. Reinforced concrete floor, concrete walls. Shear articulated gates. CHILEXPRESS MEMORY Two volumes with different program, format and materiality are articulated by a social meeting space contained by the buildings of this courier company. Analogy of code bars and the use of corporate colors are expressed as light, color and transparencies lines. An horizontal three stories offices building made of reinforced concrete at sight, coated with glass curtain walls, looking as a suspended skin which changes according to daylight and the observation point. At night, it becomes a lighted surface that seems to float in darkness. Glasses are replaced at west by drilled metallic panels allowing sun radiation screening but without losing inside transparencies. Contrasting, the production area is a closed volume containing a big inner space where automatic selection and dispatch systems are located. Façade textures, wavy metallic panels stainless steel colored with inner isolation show a typology of all heights windows imitating a bar code image allowing natural lighting and the surrounding environment perception from indoors. At night, they become light stripes generating presence at distance. Both building bodies shape an empty space denominated “meeting square” which becomes a social meeting point, the main space, the pause during the labor activity. Technical and aesthetic sense rules the design of the second skins. These plans, separated from the building walls generate a natural vertical air circulation and constitute the thermic barrier of facades (Venturi effect). This play of glazed and transparent glass stripes, with alternated perpendicular glasses serigraphiated in the yellow corporate color produce a rhythm which gives movement, bright, luminosity and transparency to facades. From a foreshortening view, they form a color veil. Ecological Features Suspended design of second skins and separated plans of the building walls generate pressure changes. Warming of glasses and perforated metal plates screen light, as well as temperature, and because of the separation between them, produce a perfect multiple ventilation during warm months (70% of the year). Natural daylight is fully used with the controlled lighting of windows and zenithal lighting. Energetic saving is considerable ( environmental light and air) Photograph Guillermo Hevia Chile Architecture Corporate Building and classification Center/ Distribution CHILEXPRESS S.A. Category Corporate Building Architect Guillermo Hevia Arq. U. de Chile Dipl. Arch. Sustentable PUC Collaborators Francisco Carrión G. Architect Dipl. Arch. Sustentable PUC Marcela Suazo M. Development CAD Technical Collaborators Alfonso Pacheco (Structural Calculation) DE MUSSY Ltda. (Building Company) INVAL Ltda. (ITO) HUNTER DOUGLAS (Lining and covers) GLASSTECH S.A. (Walls glass curtains And glasses) OPENDARK S.A. (Lighting) ATIKA S.A. (Floor, Ceramics, Faucets, Sanitary installations) TAZ S.A. - Pilar Undurraga F. (Furnitures) Location: Av. J. J. Pérez 1376, Parque ENEA, Santiago (R.M.) Area Surface: 12.000 m2 Building Surface: 7.200 m2 Year: 2005