Walnut Factory / ARC Arquitectos

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The program for the walnut processing unit worked as a continuous work that was easily adapted to the proposed “circular” implementation. One of the first assumptions to be considered for the distribution of the program was that the walnut drying zone should be located in favor of the prevailing winds. For this purpose, patios and areas with perforated walls were also added next to the drying area, so that the air could circulate more easily. From this location, the rest of the program was then developed, both forwards and backward in terms of functionality, with the reception area located before the drying area, and the storage finished product and dispatch area after the area drying area.The triangular layout of the building with the central patio ensured the building great exposure to the sun and natural ventilation without this implying a leak to the outside of the building, thus facilitating the process of entry and exit of the workers and products, greatly reducing the number of accesses to the outside (only one main entrance and one product exit zone in the shipping area). In terms of volumetry, along the three facades, the heights were adapted to the necessary heights in the interior (often controlled by the height of the equipment or stacking). This volumetry was then composed of different facade heights, with a ledge that formed the inclined slope of the facades, hiding the unevenness of the roof. This solution minimized the impact of a large facade on an agricultural landscape with no other construction. The aim was therefore for the building to establish an architectural and landscape relationship in a more harmonious and less imposing way the landscape, but also to respond to the requested functional needs.The materials used in the building sought to establish a relationship with the landscape. It was intended that the building should have a clayey appearance to “camouflage” with the landscape and thus also help to minimize the impact of its size. The perforated walls that create a void and transparency for air entry and exit are inspired by the perforated walls typical of Alentejo and Algarve. In terms of construction, a prefabricated structure solution by Vigobloco was chosen, which included double-coating panels in pigmented concrete with thermal insulation. The interior flooring is mechanically sanded concrete.Text description provided by the architects.The Nogam Walnut Factory is located at Herdade das Atafonas, in the Municipality of Évora, and has around 11000 sqm. An attempt was made to implement the walnut processing unit in order to respond not only to legal constraints but also to programmatic and geographic constraints. Starting from a triangular reference shape given by one of the legal conditions, it was decided to follow this shape and distribute the program around a central courtyard.