Torre Plaza Europa, energy efficiency and sustainability thanks to BIM

The GCA Architects studio (gcaarchitects.com) finished the construction of Torre Plaza Europa 34 last June, the latest office building erected in Plaza Europa, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, one of the fastest-growing business areas in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Both the team of architects and the construction company implemented the BIM methodology (Building Information Modeling), which has allowed them to anticipate unforeseen events and provide efficiency and sustainability.

The building, owned by Colonial and Inmo, has an area of 21,000 m² distributed over 21 floors above ground and 140 parking spaces. Located halfway between El Prat Airport and Barcelona, the property has become a gateway to the city.

In this environment, as explained by the architecture studio on its website, Torre Plaza Europa rises as a 21-story glazed volume that escapes the stereotypes of high-rise buildings, decomposing into four cubes that bring dynamism to the building and generate a series of terraces that allow enjoying the views offered by this unique enclave. The recessed planes contrast with the glass of the main facade due to the use of a darker glass typology which, together with the horizontal metallic bands, emphasizes the appearance of volumes in balance.

Likewise, in the Torre Plaza Europa 34 project, the use of low-consumption and easy-maintenance technologies has been prioritized, achieving a more efficient building that has received the LEED Gold certificate, which recognizes the most sustainable and environmentally friendly buildings.

Update the models

The implementation of BIM technology, explains Borja Sánchez Ortega, Projects Director and Director of the International BIM Manager Master (+VR) at the specialized consultancy Espacio BIM (www.espaciobim.com), "has allowed centralizing all the information of the Torre Plaza Europa (geometric, documentary, etc.) in a digital model developed by all agents involved in the project." In this regard, Daniel García, BIM Manager at GCA Architects, in an interview published in the AbiertoXObras section of the aforementioned consultancy, acknowledges that "the possibility of visualizing the model in site meetings is a very significant change; dynamically visualizing the area to be worked on in three dimensions increases the degree of understanding and facilitates reaching agreements among all involved agents."

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The construction company responsible for the works of Torre Plaza Europa, García acknowledges, "had a BIM team in the site office from the beginning to keep it updated at all times." Each week, continues the BIM Manager of the architecture firm, "they shared a model with the constructed progress, so we could study the doubts of the construction company and the contractors before the visits." 

Furthermore, in this project, the updating of the models has been key, as it has allowed anticipating some issues. When excavating the diaphragm walls, they encountered a rock boulder that the geotechnical engineers had not detected and that was impossible to excavate with the grab of the piling machine. "Modeling this incident allowed detecting months in advance the consequences that this unforeseen event would cause, and they were able to address them by agreeing among all agents on the necessary modifications, such as installations or the arrangement of parking spaces," explains the BIM Manager of GCA Architects, who adds, "BIM models allow reducing the degree of uncertainty, which is surely one of the factors that cause the most stress on a construction site."