The Escato Operations Center project, located in Lerma, State of Mexico, arose from the strategic need

to combine several business units in a single space to boost productivity, improve cost-efficiency and
position Grupo Escato as a benchmark within the manufacturing industry.

It was a challenge because all of Escato’s business units are completely different, ranging from the
creation of digital contents to the making of billboards, design and manufacturing of equipment, including
furniture, displays, stands, etc. We thought that since there would be several industries in a single
physical space, the company would have the chance to sport its capacity and scale; turning the
Operations Center into a big showroom and a natural point of sales.

Combining both Industrial and Corporate areas and turning them into a showroom demanded a very
specific architectural program and master plan, but this project was also complex because the plot was
located next to the highway and the main entrance to the industrial park, which meant users would be
exposed to heavy traffic and a complex urban landscape.

The plot was flanked by trees on the south border, so the architectural concept uses the trees and the
corporate building as filters to create a garden that provides a view and natural light to the office and
service areas.

As an additional variable, sustainability was not only important because of the requirement to be LEED-
certified, but also because we understand sustainability not only from an eco-friendly, but also from a
financial and, most importantly, user-centered approach.

Since the corporate building, facing a green space, is adjacent to the main entry of the industrial park, we
designed a screen wall that introduces the industrial context, regulates natural light and provides an
urban-scale image of Escato Operations Center. The perforated screen wall is 2.4 m (7.87 ft) apart from
the glass walls of the building, creating a green outdoor background for the office area. On the opposite
side, we used the tension created by the 2 volumes, the corporate building and the industrial unit, to
create a triple-height main lobby.

We believe that the interior-design trend currently seen in office buildings to create open layout
workspaces aimed at “making people get together and trigger teamwork” has generated some loss of
individuality and, hence, a weak sense of belonging among users. It has certain advantages, mostly
financial, and leveraging the democratization and dynamism of open spaces was a tool that we had to
use. Therefore, office areas were designed by reducing closed or private areas and placing them in the
middle, while leaving the space next to the outdoor areas for general work zones. Also, to control their
dimensions and create different atmospheres, we included a double-height digital showroom in the center
of the corporate building.

All the processing of the materials and finishes used to design the interior spaces and the screen wall was
carried out by Grupo Escato in these new facilities, as a way to include the DNA of the Group into the
architecture of this complex.