Staib Building (Shell)

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Routes · Subcategory: Rationalism route · Year: 1930 · Authors: Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre

This building is set along the urban front of the isthmus of La Isleta, and has been recently extended by a series of other new lower buildings, its composition being conditioned with a by-law that requires it to keep its rather inadequate curved arches on its pillars on the ground floor.

This makes it contrast sharply with the rest of the buildings alongside it, as it rises serenely and smoothly with a smart lime mortar front, left untouched over the years.

The change of original owner (the former Staibs consignatory) led to the appearance of the now familiar Shell sign [which has since been taken down], preceded by the characteristic shell floating above the slab which serves as the top of the building which is squashed between dividing lines, facing out over the port. 

The vertical shape of its staircase is the articulating feature of is composition, as a blind form that takes up the single suspended part joining the first two floors; from this point, it extends (with a slight overlap that produces a small shadow underneath it) the thickness of the wrought iron on the terrace of the main floor, splitting the façade into two. 

The light tube bannister secures two masts, a constant marine theme set in an international style, presented here on the second main floor, running along from side to side, while the skyroof edging, and guardrail are in sections and each one is set back from the one before.

The edging slab on the skyroof is in the form of a canopy, and juts out over the façade, without actually reaching the vertical wall formed by the landings on the stairway, which is lit up by round gaps on the sides. The shielded pillars feature round stone and are set in line with the plot it occupies. 

While on the top two floors the carpentry around the rectangular gaps face inwards, dividing the horizontal section and marking out the structural axis, the gaps on the first two floors are on a level with the façade and run along it, leading outwards onto two glass corner structures. 

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