BIG, the architectural firm founded by the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, won the competition for the new headquarters of the Joint Research Center (JRC), the internal scientific service of the European Commission. The building, of about ten thousand square meters, will be built in Seville on the Isla de la Cartuja, in the old Expo 1992 area.
The JRC will host 12 research units and support functions, as well as public and private outdoor spaces. The sloping construction will give life to a series of green spaces on a human scale and a cloud of square-shaped solar canopies will screen the plaza, the garden and the building, inspired by the pergolas of Seville.
The project will emphasize locally sourced materials – such as limestone, wood and ceramic tiles – and minimize the maintenance of green spaces, thanks to the choice of native vegetation.
The municipality of Sevilla, by 2025, wants to become a global icon of sustainability by making the Isla de la Cartuja exclusively dependent on 100% renewable energy sources, and by reducing carbon emissions.