Grupo GUBIA, as a consultancy specializing in the design and construction of spaces in wood and bamboo, has relied on the architectural firm Galán Lubascher and, specifically, the architect Luis García de Vinuesa, for the remodeling of the College of Civil Engineers (CICCP) in Madrid, in which it has already intervened in two phases with its technical solutions in wood cladding and carpentry.
The first phase has been focused on the complete renovation of the building's lobby and auditorium, Auditorio Betancourt, to adapt it to new technologies, as well as to renew its image and design, while focusing on sustainability. For this, GUBIA bamboo has been key, given the environmental qualities of this material, as well as its durability and resistance.
An acoustic ceiling made of bamboo slats, _96x19mm apart 10cm on axis and placed on a black finished board_ has been used to improve the acoustics of the space. The 200 m2 occupied by the auditorium have a bamboo floor model GUBIA BSF15 C-v, with slats of 1950x96mm and 15mm thick that extends to the dais area.
The foyer to the building has been conceived as a bamboo box in which floor, walls and ceilings are completely covered with this material. The access doors to the auditorium, model GUBIA flush fitting door system ©, are also made of bamboo and blend into the walls, going completely unnoticed. Walls and ceiling are covered with fireproof fiberboard finished with GUBIA BVCV bamboo veneer in measures of 2400x600mm.
To meet the auditorium's acoustic requirements, a bamboo ceiling has been used, formed by fireproof boards finished in black on which 100x20mm slats are arranged with a separation of 10cm on axis. On the perimeter, a smooth, lower ceiling is suspended by means of concealed metal profiles, facilitating the registration of installations. The GUBIA BSF 15Cv bamboo floor, with 1950x96mm slats and 15mm thick, covers the 200m2 of the auditorium, extending to the lobby and the side exhibition hall. Here it is arranged as borders around the marble flooring.
The podium area and the rear platform, raised for seating, are covered with the same material with solid bamboo board partitions that show the section of the material on top. Two tables and a lectern on the dais replicate the image of the acoustic ceiling, designed with bamboo slats.
The second phase of the project has focused on a major expansion of the space by annexing part of the area occupied by the adjacent branch of Banco Caminos, which has since become part of the school. Two new common areas have been created: a meeting room and a multipurpose space of more than 100m2 where the same bamboo material is used in similar ways: acoustic ceiling slats, custom carpentry and floor to ceiling bamboo cladding, solid bamboo flooring...
Both spaces are accessed from the school courtyard by a central hallway through a large pivoting bamboo glass door with a specially designed handle that shows the filigree of the material on the edge. Both the foyer and both halls incorporate floor-to-ceiling cladding made of bamboo panels. The aesthetics and acoustic comfort of the Auditorium are repeated in this hall with a new ceiling of bamboo slats and a floor of the same material.
Thus, the carpentry of the room consists of doors and cabinet fronts integrated into the cladding. The two spaces are separated by a movable glazed partition.
The multipurpose hall also includes, among its solutions, an innovative system of mixed joinery: iroko wood on the outside, which reproduces the same design of the original windows of the building (which is protected) and bamboo on the inside, which is incorporated into the new decoration of the space (with a contemporary aesthetic for stately atmospheres).
With the new exterior carpentry, we have also sought to adapt its performance to current requirements, which involve a strong thermal and acoustic improvement in the interior. The exterior carpentry consists, on the one hand, of two 4-pivot windows that serve as a transition between the historic and the present of the building. And, on the other hand, eight flared oculi lined with bamboo.
The entire carpentry design has been carried out by the GUBIA technical team. Their usual way of working, with full-scale models and their own tests, has borne fruit in just three weeks, achieving a carpentry element on which they are still working to achieve its early approval.
Of all this work on the part of GUBIA, the architect García de Vinuesa emphasizes "the professionalism, the care for details and the close relationship with the material, make us count on the close collaboration of the GUBIA Group every time we can to carry out these projects".
