Following projects like Maggie's Leeds and Eden, Heatherwick Studio continues its run of greenery filled works with Castellana 69. The firm’s first building in Spain, it’s conceived as an office with a “green heart” and will boast significant sustainable design, including solar panels which will produce more electricity than it requires.
Castellana 69 is being created for Spain's El Corte Inglés department store, in collaboration with CLK architects and BAC Engineering Consultancy Group, and will be located near the group's flagship store. It will measure 15,000 sq m (161,000 sq ft) and will incorporate timber and other sustainably sourced materials. Thanks to its solar panels being expected to produce more electricity than is required to operate it, the office building is slated to become net-zero in 15 years.
"Demonstrating a solid commitment to the environment and the belief that great design makes more livable cities, Castellana 69 promotes both social and environmental sustainability," says Heatherwick Studio. "This is embodied in the innovative facade and the central 'green heart,' provided by a courtyard inside the building, bursting with trees and plants to bring nature into the center of the workplace and the city. This approach is amplified by the choice of healthy and sustainable materials, advanced technology and by harnessing natural resources. Solar panels on the building will produce more energy than the building consumes which will ultimately make it net zero-carbon. Furthermore, the amount of embodied carbon used in construction will be a fraction of a typically constructed office building."
Unfortunately, there are no images of the interior at this early stage, though we do know that the new office is designed to be flexible and provide multiple indoor and outdoor working and social areas, including its greenery filled courtyard. Another goal is to make it an overall pleasant place to work and indeed, from the renders provided it certainly looks like a more appealing place to spend a day than a typical gray concrete and glass office high-rise.
Castellana 69 was commissioned following an architecture competition that involved some high-profile names like BIG and Foster + Partners, and KPF. It's due begin construction in 2022 and expected to be complete by 2024.
Source: Heatherwick Studio