Urban Definition: Integration into the Context

The architectural proposal for the Basque Quantum Centre is approached from the perspective of intervening in the existing built fabric, starting from a sense of architectural coherence and assuming responsibility for the project’s contribution to the image of the city. The proposal is conceived as a simple, lightweight volume, immediately legible—a neutral yet assertive plane that accompanies the existing building without competing with it.

The new building, always considering its relationship with the existing one, balances the streetscape through a careful distribution of massing between both façades. While the Korta I building offers a faithful reflection of its internal programme and zoning—both in its overall volume and in the composition of its façades through the repetition of windows—the proposal opts for a more abstract composition, homogeneous and coherent with the flexible interior layout it accommodates.

The volume, which at first appears homogeneous due to its lightweight double skin, aligns differently in the basement, ground floor and upper levels, always responding to the existing building. The two buildings are both separated and connected by an intermediate bay, which enables the functioning of the ensemble while allowing for future independence. This recessed piece, set back from the longitudinal façades of both buildings, acts as a material and spatial joint, harmonising the change of façade on either side.

Functional Scheme

The functional organisation of the programme in the Korta I building follows a classical distribution of servant space (corridor) and served spaces (offices and laboratories). A long central corridor acts as the main distributor, accommodating installation shafts along its length. This longitudinal layout creates a space devoid of natural light, limiting the visual and spatial relationship between workspaces and the exterior.

The proposal reverses this logic to achieve new permeability and flexibility within the floor plan. The installation shafts, now arranged transversely, generate new spatial relationships, dissolving the conventional “corridor” and turning it into a space of transparency and interaction with the laboratories. The partitioning of laboratories and offices through glazed elements allows natural light to reach the circulation space. A rational modulation and the proposed structural system allow for multiple configurations of the research spaces, ensuring adaptability to the real needs of the centre.

The position and size of these technical cores generate a spatial rhythm that alternates laboratories with new multifunctional intermediate rooms. Researchers may appropriate and personalise these spaces according to the needs of each moment—either social or private: a small group meeting room, a quiet working zone, a reading or resting room, a small library, a video-call booth, etc.

Structural System & Construction Solutions

A precast structural system—columns, beams and hollow-core slabs—supports the principle of flexibility, enabling large spans and open, unobstructed floor plates. Prefabrication accelerates construction and improves quality control, essential for an extension built alongside an operational facility.

The envelope is defined by an outer solar-screen skin of anodized aluminium Z-profiles, reducing glare and contributing to thermal performance while preserving views to the surrounding landscape. This lightweight façade protects the inner curtain-wall system, which alternates opaque and glazed panels, and incorporates a maintenance walkway between both layers.