Technology Center: A New Paradigm in Research and Innovation Architecture

Paulo Brazil E. Sant Anna's Award-Winning Design Inspired by Nature

The Technology Center, located in Monte Alegre, Telemaco Borba, Parana State, Brazil, is a striking architectural project conceived to redefine how buildings for research and innovation can enhance and add value to intellectual production processes in the field of pulp and paper. The design, devoid of any unnecessary additional elements, is defined by its structure, volumetry, and closures in glass and metal.

The inspiration for this design came from the precious geometry of the Pinhao, the fruit of the araucaria, a typical tree of the state of Parana. The golden thread that pervades this project reveals the seed and the curved stem, pointing to some place in the future, resting gently on the horizontal line of the architectural set, as an act of love with the sown land.

The main materials used in the realization of this design are concrete, metal, and glass. The main building spans 4,275 square meters, resting its terraces on the gradual slope of the terrain. The independent accesses, integrated by walkways, preserve the integrity of the laboratory areas, enabling concomitant and independent activities, both for research and for congresses or exhibitions.

One of the main challenges faced during the design process was the integration of two main volumes with necessary preservation of the individuality of many activities, without the loss of continuity. This was achieved by a single skin that surrounds and delimits the perimeter of an architectural set with its continuous balcony. The accentuated horizontal lines respect the terrain and blend with the landscape, conveying the sensation of sewing the ground.

The Technology Center was developed for Klabin S.A. in response to the company's research, development, and innovation needs. The architectural complex also includes a Conference and Exhibition Center. It is located amid generous wooded areas that shape the green belt in the immediate surroundings to the Klabin Monte Alegre Industrial Unit, inaugurated in the 1940s for the production of paper.

In conclusion, the Technology Center is a humanized landmark, destined for the necessary intellectual immersion of the researchers who will act in it. The striking and integrated design of the roofs in concave and convex form almost touch the accentuated horizontal lines, defining the main characteristics of the architectural complex. This design was awarded the Golden A' Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award in 2019, a testament to its outstanding and trendsetting creation.