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The Carboard Office rethinks the urban impact of Red Cross from a spatial, material and social point of view. On the one hand, the proposal builds a new model of workspace in full contact with citizens. An open, flexible and changing model capable of making visible the day-to-day life of the organisation in the 21st century. On the other hand, cardboard, recycled and recyclable, is introduced as a efective and simbolic material. A material that resonates with the company's own logistics in relation to the packaging, storage and distribution of clothing and food, thus evoking its internal operating mechanisms. Lastly, the project is the result of finishes in which the appropriation of tradition and artisanal wisdom transforms and personalises the generic industrial process.
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A few meters from its current headquarters in Granada, Red Cross decides to expand its facilities on the ground floor of a residential block at the end of the central Paseo del Salón. This decision helps the reacomdation of all the teams dispersed throughout the city, also expanding the offer of jobs. From an strategic point of view, the new space allowed greater visibility in the daily life of the average citizen. The space was suitable for both purposes. First, it offered a generous surface area and height (5 metres) to fit the requested programme: multipurpose classroom for cultural and training activities, group work space, offices and service spaces. Second, its strategic urban position and its triangular geometry, with three facades facing the public road, built a very exposed place.
Cardboard acts as a structural material, enclosure, lighting, false ceiling, light lattice, acoustic trap or filter for ventilation air (supply and return). Made with renewable, biodegradable raw materials, and highly recyclable (more than 25 times without loss of quality), the cardboard tubes are re-contextualised, displaced from their original industrial purpose to contribute to the circular economy of an interior design project thanks to an element with a future reuse of more than 90% of its components. Despite is a recent project the project has been published in national and international magazines (digital and printed) as Metalocus, Afasia, ON DISEÑO, etc...It has been also prized (1st PRIZE) in ARCHELLO AWARDS 2024 (Office Category).
The proposal implements, in the irregularity of the given plot, the requested uses maximizing the surface area of the common work space which runs parallel to the main north-facing façade. The offices are located on the south side, while the multipurpose room is built taking advantage of the depth of the boundary wall with the adjacent premises. The service uses (toilets and facilities) are attached to the dividing wall with the entrance to the housing block. This arrangement promotes maximum transparency and flexibility of the work space, both inside and outside, so that the divisions are resolved through the furniture: cupboards, lockers and lattices. If the enclosures inside do not reach the ceiling to allow the passage of light, on the outside the opening of the façade takes the possibilities of the original openings to the extreme. To intensify the inside-outside relationship, a continuous bench runs linearly along the north façade, between the street and the premises, thus “giving up” a public infrastructure for rest, a meeting place between the Red Cross and the city of Granada.
Cardboard, recycled and recyclable, is introduced as a material capable of symbolizing the Red Cross's determined commitment to sustainable and environmentally conscious action. A single element, the tube or "mandrl" (in 10 and 20 cm formats) supports the proposal in combination with MDF (another recyclable material) to offer a raw and warm space at the same time
The project has exceeded our expectations. The idea of building a bare but welcoming space has been achieved. The warmth and comfort inside makes it easier to carry out our daily tasks. Sometimes it feels like a library. By the way, we love the use of cardboard, a material that is already part of our organization's identity.
Tomás García Piriz (Granada, 1978) Dr PhD. Architect. Full Professor Project Design at E.T.S.A.G (University of Granada, Spain). Founder of Tomás García Píriz Studio.
His works and investigations have dealt with themes related to landscape, infrastructure and the dynamics of change in the 21st century city or the relationship between heritage and contemporary architecture. His work and research has been widely published and awarded (FAD, AR AWARDS, BEAU, BIAU, BAUWELT, ARCHITIZER, BESTARCHITECTS, THE PLAN AWARD, ARCHITECTURAL MASTER PRIZE, CSCAE AWARD ...) and exhibited at major events such as the Venice Biennale (2008, 2016, 2021), Spanish Architecture Biennale (Spain), ABOVEMM (México), IAAC (Spain) and more. His office has been awarded the prestigious DESIGN VANGUARD prize (2016) with which the American magazine Architectural Record identifies the most outstanding emerging architects from around the world.
