Eco Factor: Renewable energy generating architecture design.
To bring an oasis to the concrete jungle of Madrid, Herzog & de Meuron have proposed a stunning design of a new headquarters for Spanish banking group BBVA. The 100,000-sqmile site is designed to create a small city and an artificial oasis to enable the architecture stand out in the skyline of Madrid.
The small city would showcase a series of three-story buildings with alleys and gardens separating the long and thin buildings from each other. The main bank building will be designed in the form of a disc, which would complement the whole design. The light and sun would be regulated though overhanging floor plates and photovoltaic modules will be placed on the roof to generate electricity for the complex.
The architecture will incorporate several rainwater harvesting systems that would be able to provide recycled water for landscaping and toilet flushing. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
The Dark Side:
The construction of the complex will not be as ecofriendly as the complex itself is. Constructing a 100,000-sq-mile complex will definitely show its impact on the environment in one way or the other.
