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This property, built in the mid-1970s to house a combination of offices, commercial premises and parking, was once the headquarters of the Bank of London and South America in Madrid. On the back of a comprehensive refurbishment forty years on, the development will be brought back to life to accommodate the same high-end mix-use it was initially designed to.
Located in Calle de Serrano, the city’s most prestigious address, the property has over 6,300m2 of available space. Around 70% of the premises are earmarked for office use, with the remaining 30% dedicated for commercial use.
The new glass building envelope adds a dash of sleek to the street’s otherwise classic look, offering a fresh take on window-shopping to users and passers-by. The ground floor’s prime retail space will boast a 15-meter-long glass storefront running up 9 m vertically, to become the largest display window in the whole of Serrano.
Project Summary
1970's building
6,300m2surface area
32mheight
Arup played a key role in the design phase, working closely with both the architect and the developer to prioritise the needs of the future users. Our work helped bring the new façade design concept to life, transcending the challenges posed by the legacy existing building and effectively solving the unexpected ad-hoc challenges characteristic of building retrofit projects.
Glass building envelope - an iconic second skin
Like a protective second skin, a curtain wall envelops the entire building. Extending beyond the ground floor’s flagship display window, large-format glass panels span from the second to the seventh floor to cover the rest of the building’s façade.
Arup's façade engineering prevents heat gain by introducing silk-screen printed glass panels which provide solar protection, while respecting the privacy and external vision requirements of the property.
Façade design: focused on user experience
Arup aimed to provide end-users with the best possible experience of their working environment by means of large openings in the façade that promote contact with the outside, generating a dialogue between the client and the outside space as part of the building.
Arup has used the most suitable glass compositions, including high-performance layers, combined with surface treatments to deliver large, light-filled spaces with sweeping views of Calle Serrano. As well as providing adequate privacy, the façade design provides comfortable light, thermal and acoustic levels.
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