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Published on 1 Comment on Architecture in Spain: Puerta de Europa, Madrid, by Johnson and Burgee

The twin office towers known as Puerta de Europa I and II located in Madrid, Spain defy the typical conventions of skyscraper construction. Designed by American architects Philip Johnson & John Burgee and commissioned by the Kuwait Investment Office (KIO), these structural expressionistic towers straddle one of Madrid’s most important boulevards – the Paseo de la Castellana.

The location of a subway interchange made the placement of the two towers near the street impossible. Their bold design is in part a response to the need for the footprints of the towers to be set back from the interchange while at the same time bringing the towers together as a single compositional whole. The towers lean towards each other and over the plazas, ensuring their visibility from up and down the Paseo and creating a portal which, being at the Northern end of the business district of Madrid, has been called a metaphorical gateway to Europe. The façade of each tower is a composition of a major grid -clad in stainless steel conforming to their structure-, a minor grid of red mullions, and a third grid comprising the light grey mullions of the curtain wall.

Torres Kio1 - Architecture in Spain: Puerta de Europa, Madrid, by Johnson and Burgee
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Published on 1 Comment on Regional coastal decree eases restrictions on urban development

The Junta de Andalucía’s new law to protect a 500 metre-wide strip along the region’s coastline that it still undeveloped is to be less severe than expected.

955410 15724 14 300x224 - Regional coastal decree eases restrictions on urban developmentThe decree, drawn up by the PSOE-IU coalition at the helm of the Junta, will affect some construction plans on the Costa del Sol, but not as many as the town halls (most of the governed by the PP) had feared.

The ‘Plan de Protección del Corredor Litoral de Andalucía’ is to be on public display until October 31st to allow affected parties to present their objections.

The decree does affect residential plans for some 204 hectares of land previously designated for construction in several municipalities.

A total of 3,577 homes had been due to be built on this land, while another 193 hectares were the location for development projects (involving 3,893 homes) that will be partially affected. The land in question is in areas that do not have an approved ‘partial’ development plan that allows the construction. Projects on land that do have partial plans will be able to go ahead.
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Published on 4 Comments on Lovely Country Style House in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)

5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, Swimming-pool, Seaside Resort, Luxury property, In Urban Area, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Barcelona

565 m2 on three floors in prime area of Maresme. On the lower floor there is a garage with space for three cars, a basement of 60 m2 and storage room of 10m2.

On the first floor are the kitchen with access to garden, living an iron place and a guest room with bathroom.

The house has a two-level living room with fireplace and access to the porch.

On the top floor is the children's area with games room and two bedrooms with their own bathrooms. It also has suite with shower and bath tub with exit to the terrace.

More information on the following link: spainhouses.net

6688976 1075255 foto22447147 - Lovely Country Style House in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)
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Published on Leave a comment on Sustainable Building in Pamplona, Navarra, by Vaillo-Irigaray

Gamesa is a multinational company engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of wind turbines for green energy production. The building is situated in a micro-suburban landscape into a business park. This technology park, located in Pamplona (Navarra), is characterized by an implantation of buildings in isolation, in a green environment. Surrounded by road links, the project responds as a great infraestructural milestone, as a large transparent tank. An autonomous geometry floating on a green hillside.

Carrying out an exercise of coherence and economy of means, the intention is to meet the requirements of the property with minimal resources:

-The visibility and positioning of the building.
- Interior nighttime lighting for safety.
- Transparency of the facade and interior-exterior bidirectional visibility.
- And, very important, reducing energy consumption of all facilities.

Sustainable Building in Pamplona Navarra - Sustainable Building in Pamplona, Navarra, by Vaillo-Irigaray
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Published on Leave a comment on Benidorm’s prized high-rise tower becomes a symbol of incompetence

In May 2012, when Benidorm government officials climbed up the InTempo - the European Union's tallest residential building still under construction - for a photo op, they had an idea. The twin towers joined at the top by a cone were to become a symbol of the post-crisis takeoff of the Spanish city of skyscrapers par excellence.

intempo4 300x255 - Benidorm's prized high-rise tower becomes a symbol of incompetenceBut in late December, with 94 percent of the building completed and 35 percent of units sold, Spain's bad bank, Sareb, announced that it was taking on the loan that a savings bank had extended to the developer eight years ago.

By that time, a construction firm, Olga Urbana, pompously advertised what was going to be "an unquestionable banner of the future." The landmark building would rise meters up into the clouds. The now-defunct Caixa Galicia extended a 92-million euro loan in 2005 - a mortgage that ended up at Nova Caixa Galicia following the merger of Galician savings banks. Now Sareb has assumed the loan for 46 million euros, representing a debt release of 50 percent.

The inauguration was initially scheduled for mid-2009, then pushed back to the summer of 2011. For months, it was evident that no progress was being made at all on the site. But the project's real situation did not emerge until last week, and it is a complex one: although the loan belongs to Sareb, the contract shows that building itself is the property of Olga Urbana, and only a realtor called Maxxima may sell it.
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Published on 2 Comments on Minimalist white villa for sale in Ibiza, Balearic Islands

5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, Swimming-pool, 1st Row from the Sea, Brand New, Luxury property, In Urban Area, Balearic Islands

Ibiza Villa in 1st sea line in Talamanca, plot of approx 2000 m2, house 300 m2 with 5 bedrooms, garden, swimming pool, room service has 1 detached house, 1 large suite upstairs with bathroom. The bottom has 3 bedrooms.

More information on the following link: spainhouses.net

23742 1013636 foto20945559 - Minimalist white villa for sale in Ibiza, Balearic Islands
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Published on 1 Comment on Architecture in Spain: Sports Centre in Langreo, Asturias

Langreo, located in Asturias  (Northern Spain), is a place where you would be forgiven for gaining the impression that free space was at a premium. A combination of topography, industry and a dense housing footprint give credance to first impressions. ACXT architects were set the unenviable task of converting an old coalfield into something very different.

The Sports and Leisure Centre attempts to create a new open landscape rather than just a new building. It minimizes the impact of its volume. It plays with imaginary tectonic forces acting on the valley by folding the ground. The building is a composition of folds, of green waves correlated with the different interiors. The aim of the design was to provide a model for the redevelopment of the immediate area. The surface area of the green roofs could be extended to form plazas and gardens in adjacent areas currently occupied by ruined buildings.

The L-shaped area where the building is erected, is a highly constrained space. Its boundaries include a train commuter platform, police headquarters, the Nalón River and the local football field.

126 - Architecture in Spain: Sports Centre in Langreo, Asturias

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Published on 1 Comment on New lease of life for coastal properties in Spain

Reforms to the Coastal Law in Spain are affecting the value of properties and there are reports of a frenzy of activity in some locations.

1110056 51307 1 300x199 - New lease of life for coastal properties in SpainThe changes to the law, which effectively nationalised the whole coast of Spain when it was introduced in 1988, allows refurbishments of homes close to the seafront, and creates a market for longer leases, opening up investment opportunities for those in the know.

Owners of expropriated homes that were legally built before the Ley de Costas were given a 30 year concession of use, effectively a type of lease, many of which were due to expire in 2018.

Now the Ley de Costas has been reformed, extending concessions from 30 years to 75 years and making it legal to buy and sell concessions that before could only be inherited. As a result, concessions are now much more valuable.
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Published on 1 Comment on Luxury house for sale in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)

4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, Swimming-pool, Seaside Resort, Second Hand, Luxury property, In Urban Area

Beautiful design house in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Barcelona. Peace and relaxation is what this place offers. Comfort, luxury and good taste. With an area of ​​1500m2, the house is spread over three floors connected by stairs and an elevator. It has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, incredible terraces overlooking the garden, pool, garage for 6 cars and recreation area.

View more information clicking on the following link: spainhouses.net

6688976 1077267 foto224975011 - Luxury house for sale in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)

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Published on Leave a comment on Media-ICT office building in Barcelona designed by Cloud 9

Cloud 9 won the top price at the World Architecture Festival 2011 with their Media-ICT office building for Barcelona’s new 22@ district.The Barcelona-based architecture office Cloud 9 Architects won the award World Building of the Year 2011 at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, Spain, with their Media-ICT office building.

The architects of Cloud 9 explain that they intended to convey with the Media-ICT building’s façade that the “construction is built from the top and moves downwards, becoming transparent, anti-gravitational, and almost liquid at the bottom”

The façade facing south is made of inflatable ETFE cushions that act as a variable sunscreen – opening in winter to gain solar energy, and closing in summer to protect and shade. At the southwest façade Nitrogen-based fog is introduced in these cushions to increase their opacity and thus to screen off the building’s users.

The photovoltaic roof, the use of District Cooling and smart sensors are additional features that allow optimize energy use within the Media-ICT building.

Cloud9 Architecture - Media-ICT office building in Barcelona designed by Cloud 9 ...continue reading "Media-ICT office building in Barcelona designed by Cloud 9"