A center for the development of clean technologies, this building with a rectangular floor plan presents a very compact volume divided into three parts to accommodate the specifications of a unique program. The first two floor levels are designed for the predictable uses of a research center, such as laboratories, classrooms, and meeting rooms. The top floor contains several apartments, covered with photovoltaic panels, that serve as prototypes in which to test the sustainable technologies and strategies developed downstairs.

The block is positioned in such a way as to maximize energy saving, and this same objective explains the enormous lattice that wraps the building entirely, protecting it from solar radiation while allowing natural ventilation within.

Placed over a partly glazed inner layer that guarantees watertightness and thermal insulation for the complex, the lattice is like a mosaic of panels of white-enameled ceramic pieces installed on a metal frame. This skin of terracotta is not fixed to one position; because the frames rotate on a vertical steel axis, it can open at certain spots to take in daylight and make the views of the surroundings a part of the interior.