"On Friday, March 22, 2024, the students of the Master's Degree in design and management and Environmental Buildings (MDGAE) attended the visit construction site of the Library Services and cultural center in the Butarque neighborhood, in the Villaverde district of Madrid, accompanied by Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, doctor of architecture, professor and director of MDGAE, and by Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho, architect, director and partner founder of MADC Arquitectos, the studio that leads the project. Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho, who also teaches in this Master's Degree, explained to us in a previous class how was the process of design and the subsequent construction of the building.
The Library Services Thousand Suns acquires this name because they wanted it to be visualized as a"collection of artificial suns", generating, on the one hand, an atmosphere of indirect lights due to the books, since they require protection towards the interior, while recessed lights are proposed in the facade towards the exterior, as Miguel Angel Diaz explained to us. The Library Services allows it to be cool and shaded in summer, while in winter it allows the entrance of sunlight indirectly inside the Library Services.
The project results from the study of the surrounding context. The plot has 4 meters and a half slope that leads to a place reminiscent of the typical interior urbanism of the neighboring blocks, built around the sixties and seventies, in which we observe inaccessible green areas intended as bioclimatic zones, delimited by vegetation, but accessible from inside the houses. That was the inspiration for the entrances not to be direct, but rather to seek that friendly transition between the public space and the neighborhood.
The visit we visited was really enriching. We started at the main entrance hall and toured the social areas on the leave floor, and then went into the basement, where the more private areas are located. Finally, we reached the courtyards, which are still in an earlier stage of construction. Throughout the tour, we were able to closely appreciate the wood system used in the construction, its details and finishes, as well as observe the construction process in progress. It was interesting to see how the exterior façade wall works, which gives a sense of visual continuity without interruptions. It is important to note that Passivhaus parameters were taken into account for the construction of this project , although it was not certified because it was not a mandatory requirement. However, these principles were considered to ensure the energy efficiency of the building.
The experience was unique not only from an architectural and constructive point of view, but also from a social and cultural one. The importance of the human scale in the design of the Library Services allows it to integrate harmoniously with the community, creating a welcoming and familiar environment for its future users. Undoubtedly, a project that has been planned with great care and dedication".
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- Text written by: Gabriela Silva, student of Master's Degree in design and management Environmental Buildings.
