SERVICE Detail design and structures construction management
DATE 2011-2014
LOCATION Madrid, Spain
ARCHITECTS HERZOG & DE MEURON - ORTIZ Y LEÓN
CONTRACTOR ACCIONA
The new corporate headquarters of the BBVA in Spain, with a total floor space of over 250,000 sqm, is a symbol of modern architecture. The design and construction of the new headquarters is a great example of an architectural structure coming to fruition. The whole headquarters combines the disciplines of civil engineering and architecture. Except for the facade elements, concrete was the only material used.
At the core of the City, the vertical building, popularly known as The Sail, (La Vela in Spanish) emerges from the 100 m diameter plaza. This large concrete structure has 20 stories above ground with 3 basements and rises up to 100 m. The Sail is oval and asymmetric in shape. Its contour, a reinforced concrete wall of varying thickness, is formed by four tangent circumference quadrants outlining a crown truncated at the base.
The peculiar geometry of The Sail and the requirements of concrete finishing have resulted in a project that required structural solutions and specific auxiliary means typical of great civil works construction.
