CUNIPIC Headquarters. - Oscar FRAGO, CODIstudio

CUNIPIC is a company devoted to the breed and commercialisation of pets as well as the production and distribution of their food. Its philosophy is based on respect for animals and nature. The proposed building internalizes this philosophy and tries to materialize a working environment in agreement with it.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

The building is located amidst the countryside, surrounded by farming grounds. In a flat site without points of reference, we have ‘grown’ a container which houses the company’s management department. During the day it represents an open and dynamic space while at night it becomes a hermetic and protective box.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

Natural daylight plays a leading role and the white interiors help to strengthen this concept. All working stations have a window to the exterior from which to enjoy the views from the surroundings. The central patio maximizes the entrance of daylight to all rooms and generates a transparent partition among uses within the building.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

The envelope of the building is a ventilated facade with wood finishes. It is topped with an extensive green roof. These solutions are ecofriendly, integrative and energy efficient. Closures have been design to protect the interior from the sun during the summer time and to sunbath the rooms during the winter.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

Even though the dimensions of the building made the use of some building solutions budgetwise impossible, special emphasis was placed on the efficiency and exploitation of resources at hand.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

The building is constructed with the minimal intervention of concrete.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

The whole supporting structure was designed taking into account the material available from a road accident involving a truck that transported steel. The structure was conceived keeping in mind the ‘reuse’ of all that available material.

Photo by CODIstudio. © CODIstudio. Published on May 03, 2013.

The façade was made of larch wood (Larix decidua). This wood from conifers is very strong and resin impregnated, what confers it a high resistance to weathering, incorruptibility and immunity to insects. The use of this kind of wood allowed us to spare it from an additional protection cover, minimizing its maintenance and allowing the natural aging process of the material.

The roof solution allows water savings thanks to the indigenous plants which are highly resistant. As the building is located in a rural setting, the watering of all the gardening features is performed using water from the irrigation of the adjacent farming land, sparing consumption of drinkable water.