PROJECT DETAILS
Batlleiroig designs the Vega Instrumentos headquarters with an all-wood structure and WICONA enclosures. The building's excellent sustainability criteria, including the use of Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium, have led to a significant reduction in CO2emissions into the environment.
The new Instrumentos Vega headquarters, a company specialising in level and pressure measurement technology for the process industry, overseen by the Batlleiroig Architecture Office, has come up with an avant-garde and sustainable proposal that has resulted in the first private office building with an all-wood structure, with two 30 x 30 m floors in 5 x 5 m modules, with a view to developing the most optimal construction systems.
The ground floor is used for welcoming visitors, as a showroom and performing repairs, therefore it is more public-focused and designed as a more compartmentalised space. The upper floor, geared towards more internal and administrative use, has a more diaphanous area where workspaces, offices, meeting rooms and rest areas are located. Inside, vertical communications are through an open staircase located in the centre with zenithal lighting that allows natural light to enter the central part of the building. The project has been carried out through a joint collaboration with Egoin ingeniería.
An optimally balanced façade with WICLINE windows made from Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium.
The envelope is a ceramic outer skin, one third opaque and two thirds glazed, which is laid out as a grid, following the same modulation at all times, and is applied to the four elevations of the building. In this way, an optimum balance is struck between the use of natural light and controlling solar radiation, in other words, between user comfort and the building's energy efficiency.
The joinery used corresponds to the WICONA visible sash version of the WICLINE 75 evo series. The modules created, with dimensions of up to 3.2 metres high and 1.5 m wide in the single-sash version with
concealed hinges that support up to 250 kg, have given the new offices excellent thermal and acoustic performance, with Uw values of up to 0.87 W/(m²K) in casements and up to 0.72 W/(m²K) in fixed triple-glazed units.
THANKS TO THE HYDRO CIRCAL-CERTIFIED RECYCLED ALUMINIUM USED TO MANUFACTURE THE WICONA WINDOWS INSTALLED, 18,780 kg OF CO2 EMISSIONS HAVE BEEN PREVENTED
2,981 kg of aluminium have been used to manufacture the windows in this project. Using Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium, with a carbon footprint of 2.3kg CO2/kg, has prevented 18,780 kg of CO2emissions. This is the difference between using Hydro CIRCAL, 6,856 kg CO2 in this project, and conventional primary aluminium as consumed in Europe, with a footprint of 8.6kg CO2/kg, which would mean 25,636 kg CO2 in this project.
The windows have been set back from the façade plane in order to create a line of shade. Retractable blinds have also been designed to guarantee solar protection and the well-being of the users, rounded off with the wood's warm tone, filtering the natural light. For the entrance areas, doors from the WICSTYLE 75 evo series have been installed, which has a module with a highly insulated multi-chamber profile system, ideal for such a building.
To sum up, it is a highly innovative proposal that combines the wood chosen -a sustainable material as a structural element-, the commitment to stairs that foster healthy mobility, a façade with excellent levels of insulation and watertightness that minimises energy consumption as well as photovoltaic panels that contribute to energy self-sufficiency. Furthermore, there is a rainwater collection system to water the perimeter gardens that enhance the infiltration of water into the ground and, in turn, provide biophilia, to improve user well-being while fostering biodiversity in the environment, generating shaded areas that mitigate the heat island effect.
Native species or species adapted to the climate of the area with low water requirements will be planted. This favours the biodiversity of the environment, while creating shaded areas to improve the quality of the space. Trees have been planted around the building, thereby favouring CO2capture, as well as creating 3,300 m2 of green areas.
