At a distance of 33 kilometers from A Coruña and 45 from Santiago, the parish of Bértoa is adjacent to the town of Carballo, the municipality to which it belongs, and is the main area towards which it expands. North of Bértoa is the large industrial park of Carballo, which hosts many companies from the plastics, automobile, metal, and agricultural machinery sectors.

The new building is located on the edge of the industrial complex, and very close to the rural center of Bértoa. It is a social center that aims to service both the workers of the complex and the neighbors, carrying out different activities, from training, meetings or conferences to others of a more recreational nature such as dancing or exercise.

The project proposes a building that, aside from offering those services, marks an entrance leading to a green breakout space and to the path that connects with the town; a building that formalizes a passage, but that at the same time welcomes less formal and impromptu relationships under the same large roof and around a wooden bench.

The building is organized in two volumes: one for everyday use with two assembly rooms and a small office, and in front of it another volume for more occasional use, such as an auditorium or gym room that adapts to different types of events. Between these two volumes, a continuous roof organizes the main purpose of the building, which is above all to create a place in which users can spend time before entering a class or participating in an activity at the center, because it is understood that favoring social interaction must be one of the primary objectives of this type of building.

Since it is a public center, sobriety and austerity have guided the choice of materials for a building that should require minimal, almost no maintenance. Hence, all materials are expressed in their natural state, without any type of cladding. The concrete is exposed, and the most exposed timber elements are thermotreated off-site and later charred on-site.

Because of the reduced size of the indoor spaces, specific furniture – tables and chairs – has been designed, and also a lighting system with wall fixtures that project towards the ceiling, creating indirect light throughout the space. These fixtures are complemented at specific points by hanging lamps in the assembly rooms and workspaces that need more intense lighting.