Model facade in a sustainable box

Designing for design majors poses an additional challenge. The studies Kelly Lestard Maldonado and Szuldman Zambonini They approached it with a comprehensive and sustainable proposal, which brings together all the functions required by the client in the same space.

The result is reflected in the headquarters of MSH, a company design and development of products for facades and coatings with a focus on architecture, located in Talar de Pacheco.

“We could have made the typical industrial warehouse building plus offices, but we chose to merge all the parts within the same structure,” summarizes Federico Kelly.

And he adds that this integrative approach highlights the importance of sustainability in all its aspects: “Thanks to innovative technology and energy efficiency, every detail reflects a deep commitment to caring for the environment.”

In a single building, a large space was reserved for the industrial warehouse while the rest of the functions were located on three levels on the northwest side, interspersing voids and patios.

On the ground floor is the reception, a showroom area with a display of materials and a table for quick meetings with clients. In addition, the staff dining room with an outdoor deck, and other supports. “We took into account that about 60 people work at the plant and we take great care of the relationship with the outside world, we added a reflecting pool and an expansion for social exchange,” says the architect.

The first floor was reserved for administration, with a meeting room; and the technical area, where research and product development is carried out, in close connection with the plant.

The presidential area was arranged on the second floor, where there is also an auditorium and a multipurpose space that serves for meetings with clients, training talks and product launches.

In this way, the MSH plant seeks to embody a new brand identity that values ​​harmony between industrial work and the natural environment.

“This versatility not only optimizes the use of facilities, reducing costs, but also fosters relationships between clients, employees and visitors”, it is stated in the project report.

From the metal structure of W profiles to the polyurethane panels with aluminum faces, each element has been selected for its efficiency and durability.

“Since it functions as a letter of introduction for the company, multiple resources were deployed on the façade. But without giving up one austere appearance, not noisy, that maintained a certain timelessness,” Kelly describes.

The architect describes the development of the northwest face as “a separate project”, in which the Custom Design area of ​​the MSH intervened, focusing on protection against sunlight and energy saving beyond formal and aesthetic issues. “Energy efficiency and thermal comfort are combined with the flexibility of the design, and at the same time the furniture and equipment are protected, prolonging their useful life.”

To achieve these objectives, a panel system was used with the ability to reconfigure the façade to meet needs in terms of visibility, vertical sun protection during the afternoons and horizontal protection during the hours of greatest solar incidence.

The development of this system was carried out using digital tools, which allowed the parametric needs analysis of each space, determining the gradients that would define the opening and solar protection values ​​corresponding to each panel according to its location.

Subsequently, through a grouping system, the different possible configurations of panels were analyzed and categorized, identifying common patterns which reduced the number of elements used.

The panels are made of aluminum due to their lightness and capacity thermal dissipation. They are made up of four pieces: a lower cube, two sides and a front panel that contains the perforations.

The permeability of the façade is what allows visibility to be regulated, but, on the contrary, its density and depth achieves solar protection. Each panel is a three-dimensional piece that opens and generates an opening on its left side, allowing clean views outwards and the entry of natural light.

In turn, the central vertex of the panel moves perpendicular to the façade, providing it with depth and allowing it to act as a sunshade.

In terms of cooling, the metal façade plays an important role in the demand reduction within the building. The solar study carried out by Sursolar determined that, in the absence of protection, solar radiation directly impacts the structure, resulting in a cooling demand of 42.5 tons.

When implementing protection with the white metal façade, significant improvementswhere by filtering 25% of the incident radiation, a 15% saving is achieved, reducing the cooling demand to 36.15 tons.

Consequently, the need for air conditioning equipment is reduced, with a lower initial investment and eventually lower maintenance costs.

The energy savings caused by the application of the metal façade could be better, but that would involve reducing the openings and perforated, making it an even more dense and blind coating, blocking visibility to the outside and the entry of natural light.

This is why the level of opening and perforation of the design is determined according to the balance between the need for sun protection and visibility of each programmatic space.

In addition to the implementation of a double skin on the façade, other solutions such as translucent tympanums for natural lighting on both sides of the nave exemplify the work’s commitment to sustainability.

Location. Talar de Pacheco, Buenos Aires, Argentina Architecture office. KLM architects+ SZ architects Authors. KLM architects (Federico Kelly, Paula Lestard, Hernán Maldonado Arquitectos), SZ architects (Daniel Szuldman, Mario Zambonini Arquitectos) Project collaboration. Arq. Valentina Klein Collaborators. Structural calculation, Architect Roberto Alfie; Main contractor. Terrac SA, Eng. Nicolás Patalano; Healthcare installation advisor, Estudio LyP; Lighting design, Architect Pablo Pizarro Photography. Alejandro Peral Builded surface. 2500 m2 Project year. 2021 Ending year. 2023