The London building in the Urban Fira residential complex is a new multi-family building developed by AQ Acentor. It contains 210 homes, eight commercial properties, and a naturally ventilated parking for 345 cars, 120 motorcycles, and 220 bicycles. It also has 78 storage rooms. The building offers a large communal area with green areas, playgrounds, paddle courts, and swimming pools. It is located in the city of Barcelona.

 

Sustainable Design

Sustainability is integrated as one of the design pillars of the building, which is certified in BREEAM and DGNB. The building is one of six pilot projects in Spain to obtain certification with the DGNB system method, which includes a life cycle analysis (LCA) of the entire building. This guarantees that the building meets high standards of sustainability and efficiency and contributes to the creation of healthier and more environmentally responsible environments. The volume and layout of the apartments guarantee their optimal conditions of sunlight and ventilation. It also allows the owners to enjoy the apartment’s terraces.

The parking is designed to be naturally ventilated and illuminated. In the first basement, there are some large flowerpots from which medium-sized trees grow towards the outdoor common areas.

The composition of the facade is designed based on a study of the building’s sunlight and an analysis of the shades generated by the surrounding vegetation. Its range of colours seeks to optimize the thermal behaviour of the envelope. The living rooms always have a cantilevered terrace in front of the main opening as protection from direct sunlight.

The energy management of the building takes advantage of about 70 kWp of photovoltaic installation on the roof and since users are not usually at the time of maximum solar production, a series of batteries have been installed that can accumulate 45 kWh that can be sed on a self-consumption basis. In the morning, afternoon and night.

UPDATE ON THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS OF Urban Fira Residential.

Optimization of design and management

The use of BIM methodology to develop the project has allowed us to optimize the collaboration between the different involved agents, validate the used solutions and avoid cost overruns. The digital model has also been used to analyze the thermal performance of the building and quantify its needs.

The BIM model of the building provides greater control and coordination during the construction of the building and ensures that all established quality standards are met. Similarly, this digital model allows the management of the building during its life.

Residencial

The project has a mainly residential use. Of the 210 dwellings, 64 units are social housing, 146 are private housing. With a constructed area of between 45 and 110 m², all of them have large terraces and views of either the street or the community area. All rooms have natural ventilation and lighting.