After 17 years, Javier Sáenz de Oiza's BBVA Tower, is proclaimed BIC
05/05/2017.
[MAD] Spain
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
The environment affected by the BIC declaration covers an area of 3.97 hectares, also covering the perimeter road of Paseo de la Castellana, some interior streets of the AZCA complex and a series of parcels whose modification could affect the contemplation of the BIC, whose exterior has remained unchanged, except in corporate logos as I mentioned earlier.
The project was launched by Banco Bilbao to create its new headquarters in Madrid, a modern financial district in the capital of the same level as that proposed in other European capitals. The formula chosen was to start with a restricted competition. To this contest were invited architects such as Corrales and Molezún, Antonio Bonet, the team of Rafael de La-Hoz Arderius, Gerardo Olivares and José Chastang, Miró and Fco Javier Sáenz de Oiza.
The project would be win by Oiza. The young architects or students Francisco Alonso, Javier Azofra, Alfonso Valdés, José Carlos Velasco and Javier Vellés collaborated with Oíza in the competition for this project. After winning the contest, in 1972 Oiza renewed completely almost of his collaborators, but that is a little known history, that some day I will count.
The situation of the plot chosen for the competition had advantages and disadvantages. Its visibility turns the tower in the entrance from the Castellana to the Azca complex, an indisputable referent on the most important road axis within the city, La Castellana. One of the major technical difficulties for its execution was the fact that it was built on the tunnel of the railroad that runs through "La Castellana", which forced to the project team to have a damped foundation. The design and calculation of the structure counted with the collaboration of engineers Carlos Fernández Casado, Javier Manterola and Leonardo Fernández Troyano.
Structure
The structural solution has two large "cores" of concrete - located on both sides of the train tunnels - through which the loads of the structure are transmitted to the ground and through which the facilities and communications conduits run. The central frame supports six prestressed concrete platforms and each one supports five floors of metal structure, in total 37 plants, including installations plants. Of them, every five plants, depart strong cantilevers and slabs, on which, by means of metallic pillars , The technical plants are raised. This structural arrangement is reflected in its façades, from the outside.
Façade system
The façade is independent of the structure, and is realized with a curtain wall in "rusty" steel (a material that oxidizes on its outer face, while protecting itself against atmospheric corrosion), the façade is marked with unique maintenance walkways that run all the perimeter of the tower in each one of the levels, this elements characterize the exterior image of the building. The facade is finished with bronze tinted windows, aluminum carpentry that is hidden by the steel plates that are screwed to the profiles (in the current reform even new bronze screws have been made to replace the worn ones).
José Juan Barba (1964) architect from ETSA Madrid in 1991. Special Mention in the National Finishing University Education Awards 1991. PhD in Architecture ETSAM, 2004. He founded his professional practice in Madrid in 1992 (www.josejuanbarba.com). He is an architecture critic and editor-in-chief of METALOCUS magazine since 1999, and he was advising different NGOs until 1997. He has been a lecturer (in Design, Theory and Criticism, and Urban planning) and guest lecturer at different national and international universities (Roma TRE, Polytechnic Milan, ETSA Madrid, ETSA Barcelona, UNAM Mexico, Univ. Iberoamericana Mexico, University of Thessaly Volos, FA de Montevideo, Washington, Medellin, IE School, U.Alicante, Univ. Europea Madrid, UCJC Madrid, ESARQ-U.I.C. Barcelona,...).
Maître de Conférences IUG-UPMF Grenoble 2013-14. Full assistant Professor, since 2003 up to now at the University of Alcalá School of Architecture, Madrid, Spain. And Jury in competitions as Quaderns editorial magazine (2011), Mies van der Rohe Awards, (2010-2022), Europan13 (2015). He has been invited to participate in the Biennale di Venezia 2016 as part "Spaces of Exception / Spazi d'Eccezione".
He has published several books, the last in 2016, "#positions" and in 2015 "Inventions: New York vs. Rem Koolhaas, Bernard Tschumi, Piranesi " and collaborations on "Spaces of Exception / Spazi d'Eccezione", "La Mansana de la discordia" (2015), "Arquitectura Contemporánea de Japón: Nuevos territorios" (2015)...
Awards.-
- Award. RENOVATION OF SEGURA RIVER ENVIRONMENT, Murcia, Sapin, 2010.
- First Prize, RENOVATION GRAN VÍA, “Delirious Gran Vía”, Madrid, Spain, 2010.
- First Prize, “PANAYIOTI MIXELI Award”. SADAS-PEA, for the Spreading of Knowledge of Architecture Athens, 2005.
- First Prize, “SANTIAGO AMÓN Award," for the Spreading of Knowledge of Architecture. 2000.
- Award, “PIERRE VAGO Award." ICAC -International committee of Art Critics. London, 2005.
- First Prize, C.O.A.M. Madrid, 2000. Shortlisted, World Architecture Festival. Centro de Investigación e Interpretación de los Ríos. Tera, Esla y Orbigo, Barcelona, 2008.
- First Prize. FAD AWARD 07 Ephemeral Interventions. “M.C.ESCHER”. Arquin-Fad. Barcelona, Sapin 2007.