The new BBVA Headquarters
Madrid
Arquitect: Herzog & De Meuron
Proinller’s Scope of Work: Schuco Facade System + Tvitec Glass System Installation
Work Completion Date: 2016
The complex consists of the main building, La Vela, and the horizontal buildings: Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, Antartida, South America, and North America, where nearly 6,000 professionals work.
The facilities include two Business Centers, six dining points, and unique spaces such as La Plaza, the Auditorium, and the Press Room with capacities for 400 and 100 people respectively. Additionally, there is an underground parking lot with a maximum capacity of 3,000 spaces.
A Project that Transmits the Globality of the Group
The new headquarters, named Ciudad BBVA, is composed of seven horizontal buildings arranged around a large plaza where a 93-meter tower, the Main Building of the complex, stands.
Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, Antartida, South America, and North America are the names given to the seven horizontal buildings. Caribbean, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indic, and Pacific are the names of the five streets that separate the buildings. These names convey the global nature of BBVA.
“The Sail,” the nickname of the Main Building, symbolizes the values of Corporate Culture: avant-garde, interculturality, sustainability, and globality.
Façades
The envelope of the buildings is one of the most unique aspects of Ciudad BBVA. The façades have been designed to minimize energy consumption and integrate new and existing structures. Almost all office areas have views to the exterior or interior courtyards. The glazed façade surface exceeds 49,000 m2.
Perimeter Fins
More than 2,800 prefabricated fins anchored to the structure protect the glazed façades facing the exterior from direct sunlight. There are up to 20 different types of fins with varying widths and heights. The fins unify the appearance of the complex’s structures.
The diversity of the fins, as well as their non-uniform arrangement, creates a sense of movement in the façade. This sensation is enhanced by the sunlight and resulting shadows, causing the perception of the façade to change throughout the day and appear different depending on the sun’s position.
Roof
The roof has been treated as the fifth façade of the complex: it has been divided into color zones, featuring landscaped surfaces and grouping installations.
Outdoor Spaces
The outdoor spaces of Ciudad BBVA cover over 2.5 hectares and are adorned with 450 trees and approximately 100,000 shrubs and small plants.
The Plaza
The Plaza is a large garden space with a diameter of about 100 meters, where the internal streets converge, and the horizontal buildings come together, with La Vela rising above.
Gardens and Internal Streets
Between the horizontal buildings, there are streets and gardens with a great variety of plant species. Awnings and climbing plants provide shade from the sun.
Parking and Ground Floor Access
Ciudad BBVA has an underground parking lot with a maximum capacity of 3,000 spaces.
Cores
The vertical communication cores connect the different floors of the buildings. They may include staircases and elevators.
Footbridges
The first and second floors of the Asia and Oceanía buildings are connected by uncovered external footbridges. The upper two floors of the other horizontal buildings are linked by covered footbridges that feature meeting rooms.
Treasury Room
The Treasury Room is a spacious double-height space with a large central skylight and abundant natural light. It also incorporates a video wall solution with relevant information for the day-to-day operations of the room.
Business Center
The Business Centers are unique spaces designed for the reception and attention of clients, suppliers, and other visitors. They occupy an area of 6,600m2 and are located in the Asia and Antarctica buildings. They have an approximate capacity of 800 people and offer coffee break services, catering, and IT support.
Lobbies
In the lobby areas adjacent to the rooms, there are small touchdown cabins that can be used for phone calls or as personal workspaces.
La Vela
With a height of 93 meters, is the main building. Its curved reinforced concrete skeleton constitutes a challenge at a structural and construction level. Its facades are oriented in a north-south direction in order to obtain the best climatic behavior. The interiors will have different uses: reception lobby, work areas, Business Center, multipurpose spaces and executive areas. audience
The Auditorium
Located in the Antártida building, has a capacity of 400 people.
Press room
The press room is located in the Main Building. It has direct access from the outside and has a capacity of 100 people.
Vía: BBVA