PROJECT DETAILS
Designed according to high sustainable building criteria, the building boasts a LEED PLATINUM certification
The WIP building, designed by Terradas Arquitectos and under the project management of Batlle i Roig Arquitectura, is located in the heart of 22@ in Barcelona and stands as an exclusive and state‐of‐the‐ art office complex. The area previously occupied by Fábrica Pons factory has been completely remodelled by creating a new green space and a landscape that complements the current urban structure. The building is located between dividing walls and adapts to the pre‐existing buildings: at its highest part it reaches 24.62 m in height to adapt to the coping of the residential building while in the northern part, its height reduces by terracing the floors to adapt to the height of the existing industrial building on the corner of the block. "This formal will of volumetric adaptation becomes a dual functional virtue for the offices. On the one hand, the outside terraces in the offices provide better lighting, as well as providing an outside garden space, and on the other hand, the floors boast an interior with a height from floor to ceiling of almost four metres, much higher than the other offices in the area," Batlle i Roig Arquitectura explains.
Elegant and distinctive facades made with WICONA
One of the main characteristics of WIP is its clean and slim facade, made with WICONA's WICTEC EL modular façade system, customising it to simulate the aesthetics of a steel facade. The semi‐profiles of the lacquered aluminium modular system with thermal break perfectly form the image of a steel structure based on HEB or IPN laminated beams. The system also allows the glass to be located both on the outside and inside of the façade, creating two well‐ differentiated volumes. Each module is made up of a perimeter profile of 280 x 135 mm, custom designed, with double thermal break to ensure the thermal performance of the building. They are joined together using solid aluminium brackets bonded with bi‐ component mastic and is watertight due to a double barrier of marine grade EPDM joints. The façade is self‐supporting and it is worth noting the large size of the modules installed, measuring (HxL) 4500 x 3550 mm. In addition to all these features, the façade has a ±5 mm tolerance of both horizontal and vertical movement, to compensate for any deformation suffered by the building’s structure.
The uniqueness of its aesthetics, different from that of a conventional office building, is also seen in the screen printing of its glass, which forms a two‐tone play of black and white that gives the building a high level of solar protection, as well as a high level of interior lighting in the offices, without reducing visibility to the outside. The thermal characteristics of this façade, the choice of optimal materials based on their performance and their sustainable origin and the centralised energy generation have enabled the building to perform highly in terms of sustainability, obtaining the LEED PLATINUM quality certification, awarded by the US Green Building Council, one of the most prestigious international certifications in assessing the sustainable behaviour of buildings. WIP is definitely a building with a personal design coupled with the most advanced technology and energy efficiency, recognised as a state‐of‐the‐art office complex.
