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design
mag
For a long time, concrete blocks were the
building material of choice for penny-
pinching administrators who didn’t care
how a building looked, only how much it
cost.Those of us who attended state
government schools in Victoria during the
1960s and ‘70s can certainly attest to this.
Memories of the concrete block breezeways
at my primary and high schools in Geelong
put me off unit concrete masonry for years.
However, in the hands of a skilful architect or
designer, concrete blocks are not only very
economical, but also aesthetically pleasing.
A good example is the concrete block
education centre at Blanca from the Pyrenees,
a state-of-the art dairy farm with high-minded
objectives, which is located a two-hour drive
from Barcelona.
According to the dairy farm’s website “Blanca
is a meeting point aimed at integrating dairy
producers, the dairy industry, and dairy
researchers, with outreach and
professionalization programs with a final
objective: Helping the dairy industry as a
whole, disseminating the benefits of milk, and
capturing the attention of knowledgeable
and responsible consumers.”
Jose M.Ahedo, a talented young Spanish
architect, designed this impressive high-tech
facility, including its site planning, landscaping,
architecture, interior design, furniture, and
branding. Blanca was his first independent
project after graduation.
Ahedo’s current work includes a housing
project in Tudela, Spain; an office building for
a Canadian company that specializes in
developing and enhancing the performance
of wood products and their derivatives; a
bovine genetics company in Lodi, Italy; and
The Blanca from the Pyrenees Green Unit is an education centre for a dairy training
facility in the Spanish Pyrenees.The mottled grey concrete blocks blend with the
silver grey metal roofing and contrast with the verdant pasture backdrop.