[ Herzog & de Meuron ] BBVA headquarters

Architects Herzog & de Meuron have designed a new headquarters for Spanish banking group BBVA.

The building, due for completion in 2013, will be located on the outskirts of Madrid.

Here is an architectural statement from the architects:

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New Headquarters for BBVA
Madrid, Spain
2007 –, planned completion 2013

Herzog & de Meuron
Architectural Statement

The site BBVA has procured for its new headquarters is located onthe periphery of Madrid. It is surrounded by streets of newly erectedoffices, commercial buildings, and residential developments. It is a“site without qualities”, a desert-like place. We propose the creationof an artificial garden, an oasis, evolving from inside out—a placethat establishes a balance between the natural environment and thebuildings, and functions like a small city.

A linear structure composed of three-story buildings, alleyways andirrigated gardens is laid over the entire site like a carpet thatfollows the topography. Analogous to an Arabian garden, a cool, moist,fresh microclimate is created. Each workspace has a “green view”. Thelayout, with its horizontal branches, is more appropriate to today’sworking world than open-plan offices, in which an employee feels like anumber.

The complex encourages communication: people walk instead of takingelevators; they meet and talk to one another. A large degree oftransparency generates a sense of community, while the relatively smallunits permit employees to identify with their particular group. Fourexisting buildings are integrated in the overall low-rise complex.Linear courtyards cut into the building mass link their structure withthe new buildings.

In order to make the BBVA stand out in the skyline of the capital,the carpet is cut out in an approximate circle and tilted upwards: theresult is a plaza and a slender, disk-shaped tower.

Plaza and Tower anchor the complex and provide orientation. The mainentrance and various communal facilities form an interconnected ringaround the plaza. The Tower, containing offices with views across thecity and the Sierra of Madrid, contributes to the diversity of theworkspaces.

The Plaza is planted with trees that provide generous shade, a largewater basin humidifies the air and serves as a reservoir. Between thebuildings, the gardens and alleyways echo the linear principle.Different trees and vegetation of varying densities distinguish theareas, so that they each retain their individual character within theoverall context of the Carpet.

The Natural Resources
The design is adapted to the climatic conditions and makes efficientuse of energy resources by providing ample natural daylight, while thegardens and alleyways are fully shaded in the summer months.Overhanging floorplates and a brise-soleil structure keep directsunlight away from the workspaces. This minimizes the need forartificial lighting and air conditioning, which account for thegreatest energy consumption in office buildings.

Ventilation is only needed to ensure the circulation of fresh air inthe office spaces—windows can be opened to provide cross ventilation.Retractable elements in the roof help to control the temperature of thegardens.

The water that regulates the temperature of the floor slabs isgeothermally cooled or warmed. Photovoltaic cells on the roofs as wellas rain and grey water processing complete the overall sustainabilityconcept.