Unasur General Secretary Headquarters

The Architectural Project for the General Secretariat of UNASUR create a space as an architectural expression of the objectives of the newly created head quarters from his vision, its high standards of quality and projection of integration and confidence in a better future for the region. Formally the new building appears as a volume like an ascending U delimited by three virtual axes: The North-South axis, the projection of the proposal with La Mitad del Mundo City and the combination of these axes in 47 degrees, resulting from the sum or displacement of maximum declination north (23.5 degrees) and maximum declination south (23.5 degrees) of the sun in relation to the equator. The rest of the architectural approach is enrolled in the East-West axis. The volume is a massive piece by contrast rises and is projected as metaphore of freedom. The building has been designed as a sculptural connotation to surprise and show a different image depending on where it is appreciated. The building is composed of a double skin, the first solid and blind in contrast to the second light and transparent. The blinded skin (or buried skin) is the skin that is required and according to the program it belongs to public spaces, and the translucent skin (paradoxically) belong to the private spaces; transparency sensations, vertigo and weight simultaneously coexist. Structurally the predominant materials are concrete and steel. the proposal of a solid core of reinforced concrete where two large metal trusses were anchored in a way of an habitable beam. The structure results in a positive, proactive and strong iconic image system. This scheme is also largest armor flown in South America with 56 mts. without support, modeling technology, drive and creativity. This idea is reinforced by exterior elements (skin) in aluminum panels and glass chromatically differentiated.