Four Recycled Shipping Containers Topped on a Concrete Plinth
The office space for Agrosemillas, a seed production and agricultural technology company, is situated within a landscape shaped not by human scale but by the dimensions of work vehicles, logistics infrastructure, and production processes. The complex is located beside a national highway at the edge of El Peral, a small town with a population of 660, surrounded by vast agricultural fields with little discernible context. As a facility closely tied to agriculture, climate plays a decisive role in shaping the working environment. The region is characterized by frequent weather changes and recurring heavy rainfall. Work cycles follow the rhythm of harvest seasons, alternating between relatively quiet periods and periods of intense activity.
Within this context, there was a need for spaces dedicated to highly focused technological development and collaborative exchange despite an environment dominated by noisy, dust-producing activities and logistical operations. Its users range from warehouse workers to research engineers, with workflows and schedules that fluctuate throughout the year. The office therefore needed to accommodate multiple modes of work while maintaining a clear spatial structure. At the same time, it had to establish continuity with the surrounding industrial complex through its relationship with adjacent logistics warehouses.
The new building was conceived as part of the company‘s broader strategy of continuous transformation. With historical roots in seed production, the company is now entering a new phase centered on technological innovation and environmental responsibility. At this moment of transition, the architecture was intended to express an open, youthful, and informal identity. This intention is reflected in the bold application of the company’s signature green and yellow colors throughout the building.
The building is organized according to a clear and repetitive system. Four recycled shipping containers, open on two sides, are placed on a concrete plinth shared with the neighboring industrial warehouses. Large circular openings punctuate parts of the façade. Functioning as manually operated round shutters, they allow the building to open toward or close off from its surroundings. The sawtooth roof incorporates skylights that draw soft, even daylight deep into the interior, while north-facing openings maintain consistent natural illumination.
The plan is composed of three linear bands: one for workspaces, another for service areas, and a third containing meeting rooms and laboratory spaces. Entrances are separated according to logistics processes and work flows, while a planted strip for experimental crops occupies the central roof zone, linking research, production, and architecture within a continuous frame.
Accommodating both research facilities and production processes, the building is conceived as a restrained geometric mass focused less on symbolic expression than on systems and function. Its repetitive structural order, clear circulation, and climate-responsive lighting and ventilation strategies provide a stable working environment within a logistics-oriented industrial setting. Beyond serving as practical infrastructure shaped by human knowledge and labor, the project proposes a new way of organizing the evolving work environment of the agricultural industry.
Project: Agrosemillas Offices / Location: El Peral, Cuenca, Spain / Architect: Impepinable Studio (Gabriela Barrera, César Plata) / Project team: Laura Currais, Matej Sevela / Services engineer: Norta / Structural engineer: gv408 / Technical architect: Miguel Ruiperez / Metalwork: Oscar Remolino / Contractor: Cresver80 / Client: Agrosemillas / Use: office / Site area: 27,772m² / Gross floor area: 280m² / Cost: EUR 410,000 / Design: 2023 / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©DEL RIO BANI (courtesy of the architect)
