Typology
Workplace
Location
Madrid
Date
2024 -
Size
16.900 sqm
Status
In progress

Info

The project entails the comprehensive restructuring of an office tower built in the 1990s, located at the Méndez Álvaro junction, near the M-30 in Madrid. Given the demanding functional requirements of the property, work must be carried out in phases to allow the current tenants to occupy their offices simultaneously.

A desire to enhance the natural light and showcase the fantastic views from the four facades requires the use of transparent material on the exterior. The indisputable solution is one of geometric simplicity and timeless elegance, inspired by the first glass highrises. Its fluid appearance is capped by an expansive exterior viewing platform at the top of its four facades, which serves as a green space that relates to the vegetation on the distant horizon.

Seeking maximum efficiency and comfort, the proposed restructuring project aims to achieve LEED Gold certification, significantly reducing the problems of interior discomfort and energy consumption typically associated with glass architecture. The tower’s façade is composed of modular prefabricated cells, consisting of two layers of glass set 25 cm apart.  This chamber is connected to the building’s air extraction system and used for air conditioning. The combination of this chamber, the solar control layers of the glass, and motorised micro-perforated blinds controlled by sensors strategically installed on the facades, produces a highly energy-efficient façade in both winter and summer.

The base increases permeability to the main street with the creation of a new access point. Green areas on the interior and on the roof of the base are introduced, and the existing infrastructural core is reorganised to expand office space.

The interior atmosphere is warm and contemporary, emphasising wellbeing through the inclusion of green spaces and areas constructed of natural wood that help convey the human scale in contrast to the large, refined, monochromatic expanses.