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WICLINE 65 evo windows from WICONA provide the perfect thermal and acoustic insulation for the new EADA school building
The School of Senior Management and Administration (EADA), one of the 30 best European Business Schools according to the Financial Times, has been renovated according to criteria of maximum sustainability. The new design aims to create a youthful image, a space which is modern and, above all, environmentally responsible. The project heads, architects Humbert Costas and Carlos Durán from the firm CDB ARQUITECTURA, focused on three basic aspects. The first of these were the circulation areas. Before the renovation they were inefficient, generating funnels at the exit. They have been modified so that traffic is now fluid thanks to the exits created on both sides. Secondly, they organised what had been a poorly functional building, making sense of the layout of the classrooms and floors. The result is an orderly school where the lower floors serve as an auditorium and library, and the upper floors as an open space with offices and classrooms. Lastly, the exterior façade had to be remodelled.
Sustainability and energy saving with WICONA Windows
The renovation also provided the new building with maximum sustainability and energy savings, taking into account the basic principles of sustainable architecture and eco-design. The building, located on calle Aragón in Barcelona, was not making the most of the light that its location gave it. To amend this, a façade composed of two “skins” was designed. The interior is formed, in the manner of a curtain wall, by WICLINE 65 evo hoja vista from WICONA with 88/20/66 glazing.
This window has a 65 mm deep aluminium profile, which provides excellent levels of thermal insulation and acoustic attenuation, crucial in this part of the city, where 55 dB are exceeded during the daytime.
The outer skin consists of hundreds of laminated glass slats with four different shades, thanks to the combination of up to four butyrals. This has an aesthetic function, but it also acts as a solar protection in the hours of greatest sunshine. This two-skin system allows for total control of the natural light and its intensity in the different rooms.
The earth tones of the glass and the innovative use of sheets on the façade thus make the building an avant-garde and welcoming space that makes the most of natural light in order to meet the needs of a 21st century business school.
With the features that have been added in this renovation, a sustainable space of 4,000 square metres has been created in which students will enjoy larger spaces, with acoustic improvements and adaptations for people with reduced mobility. The result is thus a smart building that makes the most of sunlight to provide light and acoustic comfort in its interior, while continuing to relate to the external environment, through a changing façade inspired by the iconic buildings of the Eixample district.
