Madrid, Spain
Designed by b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, the Polaris North Building is described as the “office of the future” with open plan spaces, ample light, and all the prerequisites for a healthy work environment.
«Polaris wants to be an exemplary reference for the offices that the immediate future demands,” explains Fermín Vázquez, founder of b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos.
“The pandemic has not only accelerated existing trends but has also made people appreciate the importance of space, greenery, and natural light. We are very proud to have managed to integrate all three in this project».
The building is presented as a large singular piece: a slender and abstract lattice rests on what, by contrast, looks like a monumental concrete table more than 12 meters high.
A transition slab is supported by a small number of thick columns.
This impressive structure allows the maximum elevation of the new building and preserves part of the existing structure of the old Yellow Pages building.
The function of the delicate framework that is erected on this pedestal is multiple: to support, protect and confer character to five office floors of more than 2,800 m² each.
The envelope, which is also the supporting structure of the building, frees the floors from pillars and provides them with complete flexibility.
Its exterior ribs adopt four different angles depending on the orientation of each façade to minimize thermal gains by radiation, passively optimizing the energy behavior of the building.
This light-looking framework is incorporated into or removed from the building envelope to allow its colonization by climbing plants that will contribute to the formation of a vegetated and healthy work environment.
The superstructure on which the bulk of the complex is erected generates, in addition to its own recognizable scale, a large open volume.
It develops a sequence of loggias with large spans, articulated by wide stands that make up generous and accessible outdoor work and meeting spaces.
All this is surrounded by profuse and carefully arranged vegetation.
Project: Polaris North Offices
Architects: b720 Fermín Vázquez Architects
Lead Architect: Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa
Design Team: Pedro Baltar, Carlos Beizaga, Luis Bellera, Enrique Diez, Sara García, Gustavo Gaudeoso, Laura Martín, and Javier Pose
Client: ONIX Capital
Photographers: Subliminal Image
