This office project intrigues me. Built in Paraguay, where daytime temps often hit around 40~C under intense sun, it uses the simple yet brilliant idea of shading structures to keep the actual offices (surrounded with their own heavy mass walls, which further helps keep things cool) at a reasonable temperature. It’s like putting the building under a tree.
Letting the breezes through is just as important as the shade, and the deep open cells of the side walls along with the gap between the hanging and office roofs let the air flow through. To minimize its structure and to allow for the rest of the building to be made from locally available and sourced material, the parasol roof uses a tension system to string itself over the building. The natural hanging shape also allows for rain to be collected in a central pool, which in turn is circulated via pumps onto the roof to provide for evaporative cooling when a little extra escape from the heat is needed. It will also allow for additional plants to be grown across the site, making for a veritable little oasis.
Very cool (pun semi intended). A building that totally responds to its context in all manner of speaking, creating a building that functions well and that is a delight to behold and be in.
Nordeste Curuguaty Offices by Mínimo Común Arquitectura
(Also reminds me of this house which uses a similar shade+mass idea!)
Lynx Thoughts 