Architectural Concept of CENPES, a Brazilian Research Center
Érika Di Giaimo Bataglia, Ph.D., Zanettini Arquitetura Planejamento e Consultoria
This poster presentation will describe the main design concepts of the expansion of a Brazilian research center called the Leopoldo A. Miguez de Mello Development Center (CENPES), a PETROBRAS Petroleum Company research building located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This research center was first established in 1973, with a total gross area of 183,000 square feet and 460 employees. Due to the increasing demand on petroleum extraction research and recent findings of new extraction areas, such as Pre-Sal, an expansion of its facilities was required. The complex became the largest Latin American research center, with an increased area of 1,335,000 square feet and occupancy of 2,000 employees. Zanettini, a Brazilian architecture company, undertook the design of the expansion in 2004, in a prominent 2,081,000-square-meter site overlooking Guanabara Bay. It was inaugurated at the end of 2010 and is under LEED® Certification.
The architecture is mainly comprised of horizontal volumes, with 18 two-story buildings and one central five-story office building. There are four main typologies:
- East-to-west laboratory buildings occupy the ground floor area and spread through tropical gardens;
- A central office building, located over the laboratories, with a north to south main façade and a stunning view to the sea;
- A convention center building near the public entrance;
- Support buildings, such as storage, maintenance, a restaurant, and dressing rooms.
The poster will describe the passive design strategies adopted in order to maximize energy efficiency and reach sustainable requirements. For example, due to Rio de Janeiro's hot climate, all buildings have double-roof protection and highly reflective materials as a passive strategy to increase shading, minimize air conditioning, and increase energy efficiency. With this strategy, as well as natural ventilation, most of the offices achieved acceptable thermal comfort levels throughout nearly the entire year.
The design strategies of the laboratories follow similar criteria and aim to maximize flexibility and modularity. The laboratories, research offices, support buildings, and changing rooms are located at the ground floor, near tropical gardens, to which the corridors open. Maintenance spaces and equipment can be accessed through a central service corridor. The first floor is a technical floor with restricted-access, containing mechanical HVAC equipment, fume cupboard exhaust ducts, and other facilities. A key aspect of the project is that the architecture concept, including form, volume, color, orientation, and material, is the main strategy adopted to increase the building's performance and maximize energy efficiency.
The poster will describe each design strategy and include simulation findings.
Biography:
Érika Di Giaimo Bataglia, Ph.D., is an architect who has worked in practice as a project leader at Zanettini Arquitetura Planejamento e Consultoria, located in São Paulo, Brazil, since 1996. Dr. Bataglia worked as a project leader for the expansion of CENPES. Dr. Bataglia received her doctorate from the University of São Paulo in 2010 and was a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture. Dr. Bataglia's research focuses on investigating the design of workplaces for knowledge-based activities, mainly the architecture of research buildings and its relationship with occupant satisfaction.