ARGOS Innovation Center for Cement and Concrete

Lorenzo Castro

Memory

EAFIT University and ARGOS, cement company, signed an alliance that shapes the new innovation center. As a ship, the building holds in its interior different navigational tools and the highly qualified human group that manipulates them, in the search of innovation. Ship and crew tackle an ambitious enterprise that defines the path to the innovation, while offers to young voyagers an experience that will prepare them in the highest standards.

The building as an anchored ship to the campus, encourages the encounters between different people. As a way to take profit of the synergy produced by the alliance, the campus and the laboratory program of the innovation center, merge within the building. Thought this strategy a permanent encounter between the academic communities, the private company and the scientists occurs. In some how the innovation center becomes a place of convergence, where encounters can take place in kind atmospheres which inspires and produces creative environments.

The Medellin River has witnessed the birth of the biggest city enterprises. Even the EAFIT campus has been located along the riverside since the 70´s, because of the conditions produced by the passing Regional Avenue and the Metro Train, the campus has grown hermetically. By creating its own isolated interiors, the University chose since the beginning for a University-Park system, where each of the available spaces is used in order to create quality environments, in response of the poor surrounding conditions.

With the ARGOS-EAFIT alliance, conceptually, the university opens its doors to the world. Through the location of the building and its strong presence towards the riverside, this wish comes true. While the building establishes a direct relationship to city through an iconic facade, the project seeks to improve the university border by creating better pedestrian and human conditions.

The building is located in the western side of the campus, allowing the creation of a wide open green area inside the university. The open space works as a quiet and intimate place which provides good conditions to the interior of the building that acts as a mediator between city and campus.

The ground surface modifies its slope, from the pergola level to the building, in order to create a wooded garden, from where the scientists on the semi-basement can be seen. Above it, the first floor offers multiple entrances at different levels so the campus can extend within the building.

This open character does not stop on the first floor but extends throughout the building by circulations that surround the working spaces. In this way, the work taking place in the labs can be seen while enjoying the incidence of light over the facades. In the North and South, the building opens its facades to the campus dissolving the limit between inside and outside. In this way the building encourage constant use and enjoyment, by creating spaces where science and study can encounter.