Sober, contemporary and monumental, QUIN by Mexico-based architecture office ICONICO is a strong architectural statement that defies the norms of conventional industrial park architecture. Commissioned by Joysonquin, who produce wood-made car interiors for the luxury sector, QUIN is an 8,750 square meter industrial complex separated into two distinct buildings, each with a distinct function. The two volumes are joined together with a spectacular saw-tooth roof.
The scheme is part of a masterplan in the central Mexican city of San Luis and aims to fulfill industrial requirements and operations while maintaining human scale and wellness.
The topography of the site features a near 10m height difference between north and south. The separation of two prime uses into two different buildings responds to the topographic condition with the main administrative use in a building positioned at street level and the industrial operation in a plant situated four meters below.
Functioning as a hinge, a spectacular saw-tooth roof links the two buildings together. Under the glazed roof, the ground plane is furnished with stairs and furniture, providing covered exterior space for employees to congregate, socialize and take in the outdoors.
The two buildings are both clean and monolithic in form, but differ in their cladding materials. The industrial plant is finished with a brilliant, corrugated metal facade while the administrative building, in contrast, is clad with dark ceramic tile.
Inside, the material palette is simple and clean with polished concrete floors and whitewashed walls that are illuminated by plentiful natural light.
A green belt surrounds the buildings, acting as a buffer between the complex and the surrounding urban environment. The planting scheme further takes the natural environment into account, with species that are low maintenance and endemic to the region such as palm tree varieties and ground species such as Lamparanthus.
