Awards
LAA wins the 1st AESS AWARD for non-residential / ex novo construction
Canale Vigolungo Showroom&Offices, is an experimental project exploring the potential of poplar plywood for the construction of prefabricated portal structures. laa’s research has resulted in the design of a new construction joint – named PoplyHouse – intended to apport considerable advantages in drywall construction. laa adopted the new joint for the construction of a 160sqm building, destined to house a large exhibition space and offices for the Italian company E. Vigolungo S.p.A.. The project is located next to the E.Vigolungo plywood manufacture, in an industrial area, still being in a green context with wonderful views toward the Roero wineries. The building is highly technological, and it offers a highly comfortable interior atmosphere, thanks to a very natural environment given by the use of poplar in all the building components. The design allows a strong connection with outside, through views toward the green and hilly areas. Between the structural portals, a “wall-library” divides showroom and offices defining a visual continuity of material and geometries. Orange colored poplar plywood characterizes kitchenette and bathroom. In order to experiment the potentiality of E. Vigolungo products, each phase of construction has been carefully discussed with the Client and several experiments have been developed by using their products. Structurally, CVC consists of two sleeves, respectively 4 and 6 meters, with six portals made by an interlocking system connecting two 25+25mm poplar plywood boards previously cut by CNC machine. All infill components (floor and roof slab, external walls) are prefabricated and made by poplar plywood panels “box”, infilled with double density wood fiber insulation, soundproofing panels and wooden stand. The external walls have a ventilated façade, realized with heat-treated and weather-resistant poplar strips. The building has full-height windows on the South and North sides, from which it is possible to enjoy the view of the Roero hills. On South and West façade, windows are protected by exterior curtains and on East façade, a large transparent shelter connects the building to the production site. The structure is completed by a ventilated roof covered in aluminum. The use of prefabricated and inter-connected elements ensures great ease and speed of installation, assembly and disassembly. In addition to these other advantages are intrinsic to poplar plywood. Lightweight, light shaded coloring and easy to work, this type of plywood has almost unique characteristics in terms of appearance and often superior to those of many panels made using other wood species. Poplar is a very sustainable material, deriving not from forest but from cultivation. Characterized by a short renewability cycle, the poplar tree develops completely in about ten years and does not exhaust agriculture lands. Moreover, it is a plant species available on the national territory, acting as flooding regulator, bio-filter and greenhouse effect mitigator. CVC is therefore a project addressing issues of technological innovation combined with sustainable architecture, which aims to develop a building whose sustainability is maintained during all phases of the life cycle: from production phase to assembling.
year: 2019 on going
location: Canale d’Alba, Italy
function: showroom, offices
scale: 160 smq
client: E. Vigolungo S.p.A.
cost: 280,000.00 Euro
design team: Lorena Alessio
Julian Chavez Rodriguez, Attilio De Palma, Laura Padron Rodriguez, Alessia Sciotto
art director/graphics: Rosali Alessio design phases: preliminary design / project development / construction drawings / furniture design / site construction supervision
