Design of the ‘Mir Puig’ building for the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Castelldefels

The ICFO (Institute of Photonic Sciences) commissioned Ayesa to provide both the draft and detailed design of an extensión to their facilities that would successfully merge science and nature with innovation. The project brief specified incorporating new corporate offices and research laboratories that align with the Institute’s objectives which focus on training the next generation of scientists and advancing research and knowledge in an inspiring environment.

The outcome of Ayesa’s work is the breathtaking “Mir-Puig” building in Catalonia which serves as the new HQ of the ICFO. The building breaks away from conventional design, which generally places research laboratories at the center and is surrounded by offices and exterior corridors. Instead, Ayesa’s design places the natural environment inside the building, creating a space that promotes comfort and directly influences better research and work outcomes.

The building’s organic form offers flexibility and diversity while fulfilling all the technical and functional needs. The result is an optimal environment for over 400 researchers from all over the world to work on photonics science research, including health and renewable energies. Located adjacent to the protected Olla del Rei nature área, the new facility respects this unique nature reserve.

The innovative design of the laboratories and offices, including a clean room, offers a stimulating and creative space for researchers to push boundaries and achieve their aims. Ayesa’s pioneering approach to this project has resulted in a truly impressive and functional space that will inspire groundbreaking discoveries in the search for clean, renewable energy and a cleaner planet.