the design of the Impresa headquarters reflects the vitality and the capacity of innovation that characterizes the culture of this media group.
the premises are formed with a dialogue between the two volumes of the offices, the atrium and the surroundings. the atrium polarizes the vertical circulation system and the horizontal connections between the buildings, being endowed with great transparency in the east. It acts as a thermal buf- fer and provides a space between the indoor areas and the outside space, being treated by natural ventilation. the fresh air circulates through the shaded garden zones created in the east, where a lake cools the air before it is brought inside. It is extracted by depression through the upper zones.
the auditorium is a singular body, sitting on a lake. It is coated in yellow granite, the irregular character of which contrasts with the aluminum and glass surfaces.
the social area is semi-buried in order to take advantage of the existing grade difference of the site. Its roof is land- scaped and provides a continuous view of the recreational spaces and pleasant gardens in the green areas of the quin- ta do torneiro. on its façades there is a dialogue between the glass, the aluminum plates, the overhang shades and the hammered white marble.
the two office blocks are grouped into a single structure, through a system of horizontal and vertical circulations. a system of steel bridges crosses the atrium establishing a connection between the corridors of both blocks.
the result is a modular type, an open plan that is adaptable for various types of function and is equipped with an efficient circulation system.
the modular coordination of the building combines the same structural system on the façade, in the suspended ceilings, the partitions and the different groupings of the workstations. the energy design of the building was particularly important in the treatment of the façades in order to contribute to the overall thermal efficiency and ensure adequate comfort for the users.
the implementation of the building group, along an east-west axis, aimed at optimizing sunlight in terms of solar gain in the winter and protection from excess radiation in the summer. this approach allowed for minimizing the eastern/western façades, which receive more radiation in the summer and less in the winter, and in contrast the south façade was in- creased, being more insulated in the winter and less in the summer. the northern façade is well insulated from the surroundings in order to compensate for the cold winter, but allows for good natural lighting in the interior spaces.
