When buildings also shed their skin: Reforma Tower M-30

• A building located in Madrid has undergone an impressive transformation to be converted into a totally new, modern and energy efficient structure.
• Vitro Cristalglass supplied more than 5,500 square meters of value added architectural glass for this project.

Not very frequently do we find a case where a professional challenge consists in taking a recently finished structure and converting it into a totally different building. This was the challenge given to the architects Jerónimo Junquera y Liliana Obal. The building known as “Torre M-30” is built at the junction of M-30 and the America Avenue in Madrid. The original tower belonged to an insurance company but is now occupied by Gamesa, specializing in technology for energy sustainability.

From the original building the structural skeleton was preserved, although redefining new interiors and space utilization. The intervention consisted of “dressing” the structure in such a way that the bare steel and glass would be hidden behind a gentle robe like silk and gauze. The original tower was literally wrapped with a new façade of double glass mounted on aluminum window frames and over this were placed the wings.

The building’s facade is covered with various types of glass depending upon a particular side’s orientation. We chose to put on three sides a double pane solution formed from 6mm NEUTRALUX® on the external face, a 12mm chamber and then on the interior face we used MULTIPACT® AKUSTEX® L9”, points out Alberto Gomez, Marketing Manager for Vitro Cristalglass.

He adds that the on side that receives the most direct sunlight we used SOLARLUX® Supernatural 70/40, a window glass with the characteristics of filtering out sunlight and light transfer to the interior of the building and yet, in appearance, looks identical to NEUTRALUX®. All with an acoustical laminate L9 over a simple aluminum frame over which are superimposed a sequence of horizontal coverings held in place by a hidden zinc plated steel structure.

The building performance in the air conditioning hot season is summarized in significant reductions in incident solar radiation through the façade generating huge savings in electrical energy. This makeover completely changes “Torre M-30” with regards to its esthetic look, makes it much more energy efficient and modernizes the area without the need to demolish and rebuild.