Espiral (Spirala Community Center)

Recently, Knit submitted a design concept for the Bee Breeders’ Spirala Community Center competition. The 6,000 sf circular structure titled “Espiral”, is a single story, concrete, unconditioned building that hosts various sustainable features, comprised of modern design elements and culturally inspired aesthetics. Located in Portugal, Espiral is a community center intended to serve the residents of the Spriala Ecological Village for different social gatherings, encourage a connection with nature, and reduce carbon footprint. The Knit team faced a few challenges throughout the process, such as deciding on the final look of the building, the construction materials and overall, providing an architectural, sustainable structure in a foreign landscape. But in the end, the team managed to create a building with the hope to inspire its residents to value importance of life, fellowship, sustainability, nature, and growth.

The award in the end was the bond formed between the design team and further developing knowledge and skillsets that tie in with Knit’s ongoing practice of designing communities with sustainability.