Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd.
Rheinschanze 6
4056 Basel, Switzerland
Email: info@herzogdemeuron.com
Phone: +41 61 385 5757
Madrid, Spain
BBVAâs new headquarters is located on the northern periphery of Madrid. The site faces the highway and is surrounded by newly built offices, commercial buildings, and residential developments. When the bank acquired the site, eight unfinished office buildings occupied a substantial portion of the land, and as much of the existing buildings as possible were to be incorporated into the new development.
A linear structure of three-story buildings, with courtyards, passages and irrigated gardens, is laid over the entire site â which has a considerable slope â like a carpet, analogous to an Arabian garden. We chose to âinternalizeâ the complex, to design it uniquely around the inner needs of BBVA, given that the surroundings didnât have much identity, there simply wasnât much to relate to. The low-rise arrangement fosters communication: instead of taking elevators, people walk up stairs that encourage informal exchange; maximized visual transparency gives everybody a view and generates a sense of community; whilst the relatively small units permit employees to identify with their particular workgroup.
The new headquarters is designed for 6000 pax. Both the site and the scale of the development challenged us to find a radical solution â we choose to create an inward looking oasis in this otherwise anonymous urban landscape, a place that establishes a balance between the natural and the built and that functions both like a small city and a big garden.
The existing buildings are altered to tie in with the new structures, and to create offices and gardens of similar linearity and scale. They are either cut out or filled in to be integrated into the overall âfabricâ.
It is a raw architecture, one where the structure is prominently expressed. It is a design that is informed by the strong influence of the solar conditions, which ultimately results in a southern type of architecture. Along the rather narrow inner gardens and streets, concrete columns and cantilevering floor slabs provide shade to prevent excessive sun, which reduces demand for air conditioning. The full height but recessed glazing provides good daylight conditions in the offices in order to minimize artificial lighting.
Along the periphery of the complex we developed brise-soleils that are fixed in between the floor slabs. Unlike the prominent modern references, these are cut out in the lower part at an angle to provide more view and daylight where protection is needed least- resulting in figurative element that vary in direction and size according to the solar angle and program. The sloping site creates another subtle yet influential consequence on the facade as the brise-soleils adjust in height.
A round like plaza is cut out of the carpet, and then, it is as if this mass were tilted upward to become a very slim tower to mark BBVA in the Madrid skyline. In contrast to the low-rise offices, the tower offers another type of workspace, with views across the city and to the mountains. The plaza is planted with hundreds of trees and surrounded by various communal facilities. Together, the plaza and the tower provide orientation to the entire complex.
Herzog & de Meuron, October 2010
The design of the company headquarters echoes the squares and lanes of the Mediterranean city and its public life.
Initial sketches proposed building fingers that follow the topography. Initial competition models integrated the existing rows of buildings, into which a plaza with a high-rise building was incised.
The shallow depth allows for a direct link to the outside; the levels follow the topography.
The existing buildings were stripped down to their original structure, new elements added, and the whole integrated into the overall architectural tapestry.
The brise-soleils regulate the incident light and shut off the complex from the outside world. Installed between the existing ceilings, they are custom-sized to each location.
The shape of the central plaza, cut out of the carpet of buildings, was upended to form a tower.
The shallow depth and oval shape allows for circulation and spatial effects reminiscent of Piranesi.
Construction of the Tower.
The high-rise building sets a landmark for this complex, which is sheltered from its surroundings by solar sails.
The shallow depth of many structures allows for frequent vistas through the buildings and onto the city.
Squares, courtyards, gardens, paths, passages, and stairs create a compact urban atmosphere in the interior.
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