The sandsone walls of Junta Castilla y León offices are completely enveloped in glass. Using the same stone as the Zamora Catherdral, which is located in the west of the historic walled city, Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza has created a box-like building with two irregularly shaped courtyards. The building houses the advisory board for the autonomous region of Castilla y León.
The openings in the stone walls frame the views of the cathedral, the landscape and the surrounding buildings. The transparent glass façade creates an effect of lightness – despite the heavy stone walls, the building seems weightless. The sheets of glass that make up the exterior of the two-storey building are joined by little more than structural silicone. Glass fins separate the outer glass skin from an inner glass wall in front of the floor plates, creating a void that mimics the proportions of a solid wall. This cavity is ventilated to keep the building cool during the summer, preventing a greenhouse effect. The project was completed in collaboration with architects Pablo Fernández Lorenzo, Pablo Redondo Díez, Alfonso González Gaisán and Francisco Blanco Velasco.
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