The building is the brainchild of architects Ortiz Leon Arquitectos S.L. and Pelli Carke Pelli Architects.
Saint-Gobain at Torre de Cristal, Spain
Glass has extensively been used in the architecture design of Torre de Cristal since it is an apt material especially for high-rise structures. This is primarily because it is light, flexible and easy to install as a building material. When compared with brick walls, glass potentially results in an estimated weight reduction of 16,400 Tons for a building that is 50 stories high with 40,000 m2 glass area. A glass facade can be quickly fabricated and installed; in a day’s installation, a glass facade can cover 150 m2 in comparison with a brick wall of 70 m2.
Using glass in architecture design also ensures dry construction and therefore, a cleaner project site. Use of glass leads to lower envelope thickness (saves up to 8% of the construction area, and in turn increases carpet area) which is a key factor for high-rises. Even predictable seismic behavior can be achieved by the use of glass in high rise structures. Besides the functional benefits, glass makes it possible to create several value-additions as well on the facade.
Saint-Gobain glass was used all across the facade of Torre de Cristal. The chosen variants were laminated glass SGG COOL-LITE SKN 054, SGG DIAMANT and SGG PHOTOVOLTAIC. The solar control glass from Saint-Gobain helped the high-rise to save considerably on costs for day lighting as well as artificial air-conditioning.
With Saint-Gobain’s glazing solutions, the architecture design for the Torre de Cristal has been elevated to a new high – both in terms of form and function.