01
Coherence between what we preach and what we build
The group operates in solar energy, competency certification and regulatory inspection. The headquarters must materialize what we sell. And it does.
The project
More than offices. The materialization of a vision.
Campus CIAE wasn't designed to look pretty. It was designed to build with purpose, operate with excellence and grow with impact. Here's the how and the why.
What it is
A headquarters.
A statement.
Campus CIAE is the corporate headquarters of Grupo Empresarial CIAE in Hermosillo, Sonora. It's also an active solar energy laboratory, an on-site competency evaluation center, an academic space for UTH and future university partners, a commercial inverter showroom, and a LEED v5 Platinum target building.
Built with 14 High Cube 40-foot shipping containers on 3,256 m² (expanding to ~6,000 m²), the Campus houses 8 group brands and operates as public evidence that coherence between what the group says and what the group builds is not an idea — it's a place.
Why
Four reasons to build this
02
Our own documentable, visitable case study
Every PSE, IED, LIMSON potential client can walk through the Campus, touch operational inverters and see the PV system at work. No better demonstration.
03
Permanent competitive differentiator
Few energy groups in Mexico operate from a LEED Platinum headquarters. The Campus becomes a brand asset for the entire life of the building.
04
Institutional marketing asset for the building's entire life
Public journal, transparent scorecard, professional photography, scientific papers. Each month the Campus produces content that reinforces the brand.
Architectural vision
MSA Annex as reference, not as source
"The Campus CIAE project emerged from the group's internal convictions years before we encountered MSA Annex by Studio Rick Joy in Tucson. The later encounter with that regional reference reinforced the direction, not originated it. Acknowledging it is part of respecting the architectural dialogue of the Sonoran-Arizonan desert."
The desert architectural dialogue crosses borders: corten steel, reused containers, native landscaping, passive hydrology. Campus CIAE participates in that conversation from Hermosillo, contributing its own climate response to the BWh zone.
The numbers
The project in figures
3,256
m² initial surface
~6,000
m² with planned expansion
14
High Cube shipping containers
8
group brands operating here
100
kWp PV across 4 zones
120%
generation vs consumption
519
m² native landscape
108
anticipated LEED points (of 110)
The spaces
Five zones, one headquarters
Container zone
14 forty-foot High Cube containers. Primary campus structure. Individual offices, work rooms, meeting spaces and wellbeing zones.
Central courtyard
Corten steel pergola with native vegetation. Outdoor dining, corten bench, bioclimatic shading with HVLS fan for AC-free comfort.
Industrial facility
Metal facade with rooftop for one of the campus PV systems. Operational vehicle access. Houses warehouse and technical zone.
Meeting room
Container with glass door, warm lighting, Low-VOC finishes. For internal and client meetings.
Green areas
519 m² with 100% native Sonoran desert landscaping: ocotillo, agave, palo verde, mesquite, ironwood, palo brea. Real biodiversity, not decorative.
Timeline
March 2026 → March 2027
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March 2026
Design kickoff
First meeting with Tribo Soluciones Sostenibles. Site analysis, preliminary scorecard.
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Apr — Jun 2026
Design and LEED documentation
Executive design, energy model, LCA, daylighting. Portal MVP published.
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Sep 2026
Design completion + LEED Online registration
Preliminary certification. Foundation works begin.
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Sep 2026 — Feb 2027
Construction and LEED tracking
Foundations, containers, MEP, PV, landscape, sculptures.
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Feb 2027
Testing, verification and indoor air quality
IAQ testing, enhanced commissioning, final adjustments.
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March 2027
Closing and certification
Issuance of LEED v5 Platinum + EDGE Advanced.
Learn more about the project
Explore the technical axes, the team, or schedule an on-site visit.