CNG Head Offices
Pointe-Noire, Congo
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ENG
Located on the outskirts of Pointe-Noire, the building is situated on important access to the city where the client requires a high building to enhance its corporate image, but with a greatly reduced built area requirement. Thus, the project is conceived as a sponge block, as it is configured with a large volume but with a relatively reduced built area.
Concrete walls at the perimeter allow large openings, acting in these cases as wall beams. These large openings are associated with double heights at the interior and, therefore, introducing natural light to the entire volume. Instead of a typical structural scheme, where the core is located at the center, it is located in one of the quadrants of the squared floor plan, while the remaining three quadrants alternate full and empty spaces. Visual relationships between users occur at all levels creating the perception of continuous and fluid space.
From the outside, the building is perceived as a compact object of ambiguous and abstract scale. A recognizable volume that lets the light through its openings and sun blinds, and at night it becomes a lantern into the landscape.
ESP