
Integral reform of the Bizkaia tower | Idom
PROJECT: Integral reform of the Bizkaia tower
Location (place): Gran Vía 1, 48001 Bilbao, Bizkaia
CLIENT: AG TL
Work sector (category, they can be several) (1): Offices and Corporate Headquarters
Type of service (2): Complete integrated mission
Type of intervention (3): Reform/Refurbishment
Project Manager: Gonzalo Carro
Architect/s responsible: Gonzalo Carro
Architect/s(Collaborating architects) : Fernando Garrido, Ignacio Angulo, Cristina Jodar, Patxi Matute
Project management: Gonzalo Carro
Costs: Gontzal Martinez, Agurtzane Insa, Sergio Llamosas, Jose Andoni Aguirre; Francisco Javier Ruiz de Prada
Structures: Natalia Sagasti, Gorka Viguri, Pedro Niño
Air conditioning: Lorena Muñoz, Unai Ugalde, Mikel Bilbao, Diego Zarranz
Plumbing and Sanitation: Alberto Ribacoba, Mikel Bilbao, Diego Zarranz
Electricity: Miguel Garcia, Mikel Bilbao, Diego Zarranz
Lighting: Miguel Garcia, Diego Zarranz, Luz Bilbao
Fire protection: Mikel Bilbao, Lucas Legay, Diego Zarranz
Centralized Technical Management: Veronica Menoyo, Monica Muro
Acoustics: Sara Benito, Angela Lorenzo
Sustainability: Blas Beristain, Eduardo Tello, Amaia Lastra
Certification LEED: Amaia Lastra, Iñigo Aguirre
Administrative staff: Sonia López, Carmen De Castro
Works supervision: Gonzalo Carro
Works execution management: Gontzal Martinez, Agurtzane Insa, Jose Andoni Aguirre
Construction management: Gonzalo Carro
Work execution management: Gontzal Martinez, Agurtzane Insa, Jose Andoni Aguirre
Photo Author: Aitor Ortiz
CONSTRUCTOR: BYCAM
Approximate area. (m2 and ft2; 1ft2 = 0.093 m2): 30,400 m2
PROJECT DATE, months(indicate start and end year):
Months (number): 35
Year/s: 2016-2019
EXECUTION / WORK DATE, months(indicate start and end year):
Months (number): 59
Year/s: 2016-2021
INVESTMENT (PEC without VAT): 35.70 million euros
版权声明:本链接内容均系版权方发布,版权属于Idom,编辑版本版权属于设计宇宙designverse,未经授权许可不得复制转载此链接内容。欢迎转发此链接。
Copyright Notice: The content of this link is released by the copyright owner Idom. designverse owns the copyright of editing. Please do not reproduce the content of this link without authorization. Welcome to share this link.
The Bizkaia tower is a building whose construction ended in 1969. It was originally intended for office use, housing the headquarters of the Bilbao Vizcaya bank. The building has an area of 30,400m2 divided into three basements and 22 floors above ground, in all a height of close to 90m.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
50 years after its construction, an integral reform of the building has been carried out that has allowed the has allowed commercial use on the first 6 floors, keeping the rest of the spaces for office use.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
Given the state of the building, it was necessary to completely empty it, keeping only the structure to undertake a comprehensive reconstruction.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
The building's structure, made up of metal pillars and beams covered with concrete for fire protection purposes, has also been reformed with generalized reinforcements on the commercial floors and on the office floors where public use is foreseen. With the exception of the central block of elevators and stairs in the tower, the rest of the communication cores have been demolished and their gaps closed, to generate other locations with greater capacity in new communication cores.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
Other far-reaching structural changes have been undertaken as a result of functional conditioning factors in the commercial area, such as the implantation of an opening that connects 5 floors of the building with escalators and that has required the elimination of one of the building's main beams. This has meant the need to include new bracing elements.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
Another key aspect of the reform has focused on the facade of the building, protected by municipal regulations. Prior to commencing with the drafting of the façade construction project, research and data collection work was carried out to be able to build a façade with identical characteristics as the original, correcting the modifications that the building had undergone over the years.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
Given that some of the original glass remained on the Gran Vía façade, it could be used to exactly reproduce the original color, manufacturing the solar control layer with a state-of-the-art magnetron. The end result has been a façade identical to the original, but very different from the image that the building offered prior to renovation.
On the ground floor, the façade pillars have been covered with marble, identical to the original and the panels between them have been closed with large glass and hidden profiles that avoid detracting from the façade. The entrance to the commercial zone is from the public square in front of the building. Access to the office area is through Gran Via street, as was the case prior to the renovation. The lobby is smaller lobby as the space of the ground floor has been given over to commercial space.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
Inside, there were practically no outstanding original elements, as the building had undergone numerous interior renovations throughout its life. Designing an entrance according to the tower was another challenge of the project, especially given the geometry of the existing, narrow and elongated space that could generate a tunnel effect. In addition, in this space beside the street, there are three evacuation exits and access to two service elevators for the commercial premises, two ATMs and access for maintenance. For this reason, it was decided to divide this lobby into two areas, one outside as a hallway where the spaces described above converge and then the lobby itself with its reception area, elevator block and waiting room.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
The strategy focused on integrating and concealing all the existing elements on the walls, especially the doors. For this, a square section corrugated sheet was designed, which concealed the hinges, joints and fittings of the doors, offering a clean image of this space. This sheeting was placed both on the ceiling and on the walls, using white lacquered steel on the inside and anodized aluminum on the outside hallway.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
On the interior floor, white marble was installed, therefore, together with the white corrugated sheet a very bright interior space has been configured. Bush hammered granite has been used on the exterior floor, and together with the anodized aluminum, forms a gray ring that further enhances the interior white. The white marble of the floor, laid out following the rhythm and configuration of the frets, was also placed in the lower half of the reception panel, to form the furniture in this area and frame the access to the waiting room. Green marble is used in the waiting room, identical to the exterior pillars, both on the floor, walls and ceiling and which is accessed through a corridor with Estremoz white marble on the floor, walls and ceiling. The encounters have been taken to the corners and diagonals to generate different geometric and formal readings of the space. Lastly, there is the elevator core configured as a golden block formed by gold stainless steel panels, as a nod to the building that was the headquarters of one of the most important banks in Europe. On the contrary, the elevator lobbies of the rest of the floors have been configured as white boxes with perforated sheet metal with sound-absorbing sheets on the walls and a gray floor, made of micrograin terrazzo or self-leveling mortar.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz
The office floors have been designed using the Core and Shell concept and all the installations are close and ready to be connected, except for the fire protection installation that has been completely installed. In the original vaults, warehouses of a special character were created, keeping the armored doors and enhancing the original concrete walls. These spaces have been complemented with warm elements such as carpeting, wood and sound absorbing felt slats or perforated sheet metal panels, trying not to completely lose the original character of the building.

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

© Aitor Ortiz

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom

Drawings © Idom