The Illa de la Llum building in Barce-

lona is a project consisting of apart-

ments on the corner of Avenida Faria

and Selva de Mar, as part of the Dia-

gonal Mar development. The archi-

tects Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio

have designed an island with three

buildings of 26, 18 and 5 floors res-

pectively. The extremely precise de-

sign, with little room for manoeuvre,

conforms to a highly controversial

model that ignores the continuity of

the streets. They have also included

spaces that open out onto the Medi-

terranean Sea, providing natural light

and extensive sea views. The proposal

clearly rejects the compositional ob-

session with slim forms and the buil-

dings make full use of the land availa-

ble, favouring versatility. The excessive

construction that would result from

three equal towers is reduced and

adapted through intentional earthworks

in the area facing away from the sea

or at the points where the towers are

closest. Here, and around each stair

and lift nucleus, a series of strips have

been placed that cover the access

corridor to the apartments, the pillars

and the installations and separate the

living space from the 3 m cantilevered

continuous terrace. One of the main

elements of these apartments is the

aluminium sliding blinds in the gene-

rous intermediate space between the

interior and the exterior. This apartment

building, the tallest in Barcelona, uses

Technal carpentry. For the exterior

façade, 1.250 m2 of MC Plus traditio-

nal grid series curtain walling was

used, while the balconies and fixed

modules employed anodised Saphir

FX in silver matt. And all this in the

safe knowledge that aluminium can

easily withstand a wind pressure of

300 kg/m2.

Apartment building in Diagonal Mar

Perfi l32 A p r i l

2 0 0 5

T E C H N A L B U I L D I N G N O T E S

Construction: “Illa de la Llum” apartment building

in Barcelona.

Architects: Lluis Clotet and Ignacio Paricio

Arquitectos.

Developer: Espais & Landscape Diagonal Mar S.L.

Aluminium carpentry: Technal.

Manufacturer: Metalistería Pla. Tel. 93 729 03 01.

Solutions used: Saphir FX balcony windows and

MC Plus traditional grid curtain walling.

Verticalsection FXoutward-openingbalcony window

General view of the three buildings that form the Illa de la Llum complex

Saphir FK balcony windows installed in the facades

1

2

3

4

1. Location of roller blind.2. Sub-frame system.3. FX balcony window, outward opening.4. Cladding with aluminium sheet and insulating panel.

The shopping area Puerta Cinegia,

in the plaza España in Zaragoza, the

historic and logistical centre of the

city, is destined to become a land-

mark for the commercial sector. The

architects Olano y Mendo and Aznar

Salvatel la have bui l t a ground-

breaking space which blends in with

the classical and elegant style of the

surroundings and opens the old

streets of the Tubo district out onto

the lively Paseo Independencia. The

area is enclosed by the conserved

walls of the older buildings and the

partition walls of the remaining blocks.

The main idea was to form a shopping

and leisure complex in a single cons-

truction while maintaining for the fu-

ture the traditional-style shops asso-

ciated with the streets in the district.

To avoid disrupting the architectural

style of the area, stone is used as the

basic material, thereby facilitating the

building’s natural integration into the

setting, while enabling proportions

and volumes to be fine-tuned. Indeed,

the building’s southern façade uses

a double-skin wall system in which

the outer layer of stone acts as pro-

tection from the sun by reducing the

hours of sunlight received by the se-

cond layer through the a pattern of

openings. The heat gain is therefore

reduced in comparison to a large

glazed surface with no such system.

In the same way, the natural harmony

of the old buildings has not been

affected by differences in the façades

facing onto the street. Of particular

note here are the small balconies and

light eaves which conserve the street

atmosphere, a fundamental aspect

in preserving the overall atmosphere

of the area. One of the façade systems

used, in the central patio of the office

area, is the Mecano curtain wall. Fur-

thermore, Epure, Unicity and Topaz

windows and Saphir sliding windows

have been installed, both with and

without a thermal bridge, while cons-

tantly working with the interplay bet-

ween the granulated brown and silver

matt.

Puerta Cinegia building in Zaragoza

The pattern of openings and the double skin determine the formal composition of the south façade

Construction: Puerta Cinegia en la Plaza España

in Zaragoza.

Architects: Olano y Mendo, arquitectos, S.L.;

Aznar Salvatella, S.L.

Master builder: Enrique Martínez.

Developer: Puerta Cinegia S.A.

Construction company: Ordisa.

Quality control: Guillermo Montaner.

Aluminium carpentry: Technal.

Manufacturer: Ceime, S.L. (Red Aluminier Technal).

Tel. 976 46 41 10.

Solutions used: Unicity, Epure and Topaz windows,

Saphir sliding windows, Mecano curtain wall.

DETAIL OF THE SOUTH FAÇADE

As part of Construmat 2005, the 3rd edition of Casa Barcelona is being held, a project whose aim is to promote collaboration

between architects and companies working with more innovative materials, in order to create new construction techniques that

enable contemporary homes to adapt better to the demands of modern life. Technal is participating in two projects in which the

architects Ignacio Paricio, Carlos Ferrater and Felipe Pich Aguilera capture the concepts of flexibility, mutability, energy efficiency

and sustainability, in accordance with the initiative’s guiding principles.

The perfectible façade

Developed by Technal from an idea by Ignacio Paricio and Carlos Ferrater, this system may have even more possibilities than

originally planned. It involves an aluminium sub-frame designed for light façade enclosures on residential buildings. The basic idea

consists of a self-bearing structuring which allows the space between floors to be divided into vertical and horizontal partitions and

thus house any type of transparent or opaque partition, such as windows, wooden panels, aluminium, natural stone, heat or sound

insulation elements and sun protection systems. This all goes to create a façade with superimposed layers that may be added at

any time, and which is therefore, by definition, perfectible. Elements which have become out-dated over time can be resolved by

the addition of a new skin, without requiring the demolition of the previous one. The sub-frame is made of aluminium beams, which

are assembled mechanically (no welding required) and reinforced with steel flats where necessary. The choice of this material over

steel offers considerable advantages: a rapid joint system which is compatible with aluminium carpentry; greater rust protection;

the possibility of incorporating a break in the thermal bridge; a wide variety of forms that are relatively inexpensive to produce; a

more precise conservation of the geometry; and more competitive handling costs. Yet the advantages may seem even more

significant when one considers the opportunities the system provides to housing developers. The façade wall is dry laid and the

weight and thicknesses are reduced, leading to savings in concrete load-bearing structures and a greater surface area for sale.

Furthermore, a single company can install all the elements in the façade.

The Green Façade

Together with the company Intemper, Technal is developing this modern concept by the architect Felipe Pich Aguilera, which involves

incorporating a vegetable element into the wall itself, acting as thermal insulation. The wall acts as an extra flat greenhouse with

three layers of plants in the space between the interior and the exterior, which may be slid open to adapt their response to the

exterior climatic conditions. The interior layer provides the functional aspect of the structure, by means of an aluminium mesh

which houses the pots containing soil and seeds. The controlled climate and humidity of the chamber stimulate plant growth and

flowering. The middle layer provides an element of thermal inertia and solar control. Storing water in the base induces the growth

of climbing plants, which are distri-

buted all over the surface. This

combined system is ideal for the

Mediterranean climate, where cooling

and water management are often

fundamental aspects in the design of

homes. This living envelope provides

the building with a natural presence

and its mutating rhythms, depending

on the seasons of the year, convert

the building into a part of the earth.

Ceime of theRed AluminierTechnal

Founded in 1976 by Juan José Hidalgo

and Franciso Javier López, this Zaragoza

company manufactures and assembles

aluminium, iron and stainless steel car-

pentry throughout Spain. The company

generally works on detached houses,

offices and institutional buildings, where

all kinds of enclosures are constructed,

from windows to light facades, using

mainly Technal-brand carpentry. “Being

part of the Red Aluminier -explains Juan

José Hidalgo- has, for us, been a signi-

ficant step forward as it has given us the

support of a highly qualified team of

professional to provide technical asses-

sment, without forgetting the confidence

and quality provided by the Technal

brand”.

Their facilities cover an area of 1.500 m2,

of which 1.100 m2 is workshop space,

while the rest is being prepared as a

permanent exhibition area. The alumi-

nium workshop is fitted with a twin-

headed cut-off machine, an aluminium

trimmer-copier and all the Technal car-

pentry presses. Ceime has 12 people

working in production and 8 in assembly,

while the technical office has 3 people

to carry out the work of writing up esti-

mates, and monitoring and executing

building work. The company has major

plans for the future thanks to the choice

of Zaragoza as the host city for Expo

2008. The company’s most recent pro-

jects include an apartment and office

building in the plaza España in the centre

of Zaragoza, where several Technal series

have been fitted, including windows and

light facades. This project gained Ceime

the Aluminier Technal 2005 award for

the best institutional building, which was

presented at the network’s recent annual

convention in Barcelona.

Technal in Casa Barcelona

SUMMER COOLING SYSTEM: the outdoor air, on crossing the humid vegetable layer, coolsthe interior atmosphere a few degrees.

WINTER HEATING SYSTEM: the façade itself is a greenhouse for the vegetation. The heatproduced contributes to insulating the interior and heating it.

Exterior finishes: stoneWindows + insulationsStructural sub-framesFaçade in floors

Composition of the interior insulating façade:

1. 12.5 mm fibre-plaster Fermacell Panel2. Fermacell panel for HD exteriors3. Mineral wool insulation4. Fermacell screws5. Sealant6. Acoustic separation tape7. Motorised WAREMA roller blind8. Lower stackable sub-frame with no break in the thermal bridge9. Technal casement aluminium carpentry

Composition of the exterior ventilated façade:

10. 7-mm Larson PCA panel11. Joint rivets on support parts12. Stiffener for hanging trays13. Tray support parts14. Omega aluminium for tray-bearing structure15. Technal sliding aluminium carpentry, hinged for interior cleaning16. Air sealing barrier

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Located at the bottom of the Sierra

de Collserola hills in Barcelona, the

new Horta bus depot, designed by

the architects Jordi Fabré and Mercè

Torras, is based on sustainability, inte-

gration into the landscape and the

vertical use of the space. The building

houses 350 city buses in a triangular

plot covering 108.000 m2, 90% of

which has been converted into a par-

kland. To meet the challenge of de-

signing a building on different levels

– access, refuelling, washing areas

and parking space – and reduce its

environmental impact to a minimum,

they decided to dig into the plot and

cover it with a 21.686 m2 concrete

slab, on which a public park will be

laid out. The visual impact of the buil-

ding still visible on the surface – for

use as offices and a workshop – has

been reduced to a minimum by the

subtle handling of volume, giving it a

lightweight, transparent, luminous and

corporate appearance through the use

of materials such as glass, aluminium

and steel. One of the most complica-

ted zones, due to the intertwining

traffic flows involved, is the area where

the buses arrive once they have finis-

hed their shift in the city. To optimise

the space, a single structural element

– known as the palm tree – is used.

This is an enormous pillar supporting

1.200 m2 of surface. The bus parking

area has been designed using two

hypostyle floors connected by two

ramps, consisting of 252 columns

topped by a conic cap. The building’s

front glass façade is covered with a

Mecano curtain wall with hidden win-

dows, in which the architects have

hung a stainless steel mesh that re-

duces sunlight and provides better

sound absorption. In both the offices

and the other sections of the bus

depot, PG and Titane series doors,

GK sliding doors and Epure hidden

pane casement windows, with top

and bottom attachment, have been

used.

Barcelona bus depot

Technal® isa trademarkof the group

Hydro Building Systems SLZona Industr ia l Sector Autopistas • C/ Diese l , 108150 Parets del Vallès (Barcelona) • Tel. 902 22 23 23Fax 93 562 22 50 • hbs.spain@hydro.com • www.technal.es

Construction: Horta bus depot in Barcelona.

Architect: Jordi Fabré and Mercè Torras.

Developer: Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona.

Construction company: FCC-Fomento de

Construcciones y Contratas.

Aluminium carpentry: Technal.

Manufacturers: Duetec Grup XXI S.L.

Tel. 93 710 06 12.

Solutions used: Mecano tradicional grid. PG and

Titane doors, GK sliding doors and Epure casements.

From this wide corridor, open to the outside, the walls made using Mecano can be seen

The refuellingarea for more

than 350buses in

the depot

BUS DEPOT SECTION