LOCATION: San Sebastian, Spain
CLIENT: Mondragon Unibersitatea
DATE: April 2009
STATUS: Competition
SIZE: 5200 m²
ACME: Isabel de la Mora, Stefano Dal Piva, Sebastian Drewes, Friedrich Ludewig
The building creates a learning landscape. A circulation space generated by comfortable ramped corridors is connecting all rooms and functional zones to the street level entrances. Shortcuts with gentle steps are provided at a number of points in the building. Visitors to the restaurant walk across the roof landscape to enter the building via a ramp descending into the herb garden courtyard.
The building is designed as a low energy building, and minimizes energy loss through the building fabric by integrating it into the landscape. The internal and external courtyard gardens ensure that all spaces are well provided with daylight and maximise use of natural cross ventilation. South exposure has been minimized to prevent spaces from overheating and glare.
The roof landscape follows the sloping topography of the park. The courtyards therefore generate an internal transparency as well as allowing multiple views from inside across the park and the San Sebastian bay beyond.
