More and more companies linked to the construction world are taking a stance in favor of the environment, making it shown through their buildings and construction projects.
Barcelona’s architecture is exceptional, even beyond Gaudí’s work. In fact, it is visited by thousands of tourists every year who cannot fail to contemplate its magnificent monuments and buildings of interest they find throughout the city. In this post we’re going to focus on Barcelona’s eco buildings and introduce you to some of the most outstanding ones. Let’s get started!
The headquarters of the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia
Within the sustainable architecture of Barcelona we have this clear example of eco-friendly construction that stands out for its fantastic energy efficiency.
It is located in the 22@ technology district of Barcelona and has free-cooling air-conditioning units and heat exchangers to achieve the thermal balance required by its offices. Likewise, overheating is prevented by the façade wall and its effective thermal insulation system.
These are two innovative techniques that have brought exemplary energy savings, which are summarised below:
- The building saves approximately 1.5 million kWh per year.
- Considering a conventional building generating the same usage, the building saves more than 70% of the energy consumption in the air conditioning system and more than 80% in terms of cooling production.
- As for the reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, the figure is 963 tonnes per year.
This may not mean that much, but the fact is that these strategies save the building up to €250,000 per year.
Glòries Tower
We would like to introduce you to another of the wonders of 21st century architecture in Barcelona. It is a unique building with a cylindrical shape and dizzying height that is undoubtedly part of the city’s skyline.
The building is the work of Jean Nouvel, a French architect who won the Pritzker Prize in 2008. From the very first moment, the building was admired by citizens and tourists alike, not least thanks to the lighting it emitted at nightfall. The visibility of the building is made possible from different parts of the city by the thousands of LED devices that surround it, giving rise to certain moving images and generating millions of colours.
The energy efficiency of this building is so exceptional that the lighting of the entire façade costs around €6 per hour. The secret is its 60,000 louvres with photovoltaic panels that allow the building to store solar energy for self-supply. Diffraction is the name of the lighting system used for the most important events in Barcelona.
Another of its strongest points as a sustainable building is the intelligent VRV system used to regulate the interior temperature. In this way, heat will not reach disabled areas or offices that are currently unoccupied. Similarly, it has a lighting system that controls whether there is movement in a space to provide light or not.
Media-Tic building
Another of Barcelona’s sustainable buildings that could not be missing from this list is the Media-Tic building, also located in the 22@ district. Enric Ruiz-Geli is the architect of its construction based on renewable energies.
The building can regulate the air conditioning by means of sensors on the façade known as luxmeters, as well as a popular material, Teflon, which is a kind of solar filter.
What the façade does is to take advantage of the sunlight to create an atmosphere inside the building. This saves up to 60% of CO2 emissions, as less heating and air conditioning is needed. In terms of the energy generated, the solar panels located on the terrace next to the façade allow a reduction of up to 20%.
The building was inaugurated in 2010 and takes the form of a cube with 4 facades that are different from each other, but whose orientation has a specific function. Each of its faces receives a certain amount of light which it accumulates during the day. Thus, during the night, all this energy comes out, creating a spectacular luminescent effect.
Baró de Viver Civic Centre
This is the first socio-cultural building in Spain to obtain the most prestigious international sustainability certificate, LEED Platinium. This centre has a green roof that collects rainwater and filters it. It is also notable for having plenty of natural light and photovoltaic solar panels to save energy.
The building measures just over 1,650 square metres and is located in the Baró de Viver neighbourhood. According to the data provided, compared to a standard building, it consumes 48% less energy, thanks to the photovoltaic panels that take up part of the energy consumed.
In summer it does not need cooling, thanks to its natural ventilation and thermal inertia. In addition, more than 90% of its spaces have natural light, which significantly reduces lighting costs.
As we have already mentioned, the water for the toilets and the water used to irrigate the building comes only from rainwater. Not to mention the quality of the air it emits, free of toxic agents, which reduces the impact on the environment and emissions by no less than 40%.
Ecourban Barcelona
Near the Sancho de Ávila mortuary, you will find this building constructed in 2005. We have included it in this list because it is a benchmark in eco-architecture in Barcelona. It is an office complex in which recyclable materials, free of toxic agents, were used.
It is also worth highlighting the use of solar panels and its green roof, which allows rainwater to be collected and used for different purposes. And precisely in order to receive direct sunlight all year round, the building was oriented 45º to the south, thus reducing the cost of artificial lighting.
In addition, the set of techniques employed allowed it to save up to 40% energy compared to other buildings of similar use, thanks to the system of blinds, windbreaks, natural ventilation and green façade.
At Lugaris holiday apartments Barcelona we work every day to be more sustainable and energy efficient. Visit our website and get to know us.
