When the local highways department wanted a new headquarters building located in Navarra, Spain, they commissioned architects Vaillo + Irigaray who brought wit to a simple office building. They created a sunscreen made from rusty steel sections and gabion walls filled with shredded tyres.
The plan is simply organized in a linear fashion to take advantage of views to the south. Support spaces are arranged along the northern side of the building, whilst parking is beneath at ground floor level where it is shady.
The south façade has a ripple in its appearance that introduces a sense of movement. Its form was generated from particular shifts in the site topography. Without this, the façade might seem monotonous.
The short end walls have the wonderful gabion cladding filled with shredded tyres, a nod of course to the function of the highways department itself, but bringing a beautiful texture and an interesting play of light to the building.
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