BBVA Headquarters_Madrid_Herzog & de Meuron

Building envelope

      • A facade of the highest thermal and acoustic insulation (double glazing, inert gas chamber, ...). Brise-soleils are designed for energy simulation to optimize the entry of natural light, avoiding the direct sunlight and allowing the outside views.

       • The tests performed show that the air conditioning systems requires two hours less of daily consumption compared with other buildings without these elements.

Brise-soleils

• Screens are fixed pieces, although many people think otherwise. The orientation of the slats changes in each façade, according to sunlight.

• These are pieces of steel coated with carbon-fibre-reinforced polyester and lacquered white. The design of these pieces is based on the human scale, the figure of a person sitting and standing are the positions of a worker in the office area, in order to generate a balance.

• Brise-soleils have various widths to achieve a relatively smooth surface on the outside. Theones of a single height are placed along the whole facade and double brise-soleils are placed on entrances or connecting areas. Moreover, the pieces protect from direct solar incidence and allow the opening of exterior views, allowing light to enter all spaces. Thanks to these brise-soleils it is possible to have a 49,000 m² glazed surface that allows 90% of the interior space to have natural light, thus generating huge energy savings.

Composition of glass

The glass is composed of a section formed by:

- Double monolithic glass (6+6mm).

- Argon chamber of 20 mm.

- Double laminated glass (8+8 mm).