Tanger 36 Offices

Tanger 36 is an office building in Poblenou, an area which, at the nineteenth century was the area in Catalonia with the largest industry concentration. In this context, the building is designed with the aim of integrating it into the neighbourhood’s past without losing the identity of the place in which it is set. The building, with a gross surface area of 11,585 m², is integrated into the urban context by means of a singular solution for the corner of Tànger and Àlava streets, where a four-storey outside atrium frames the entrance to the building and generates a plaza on Carrer Tànger, that has become a backbone for new office buildings. The large atrium, formed vertically by a metal structure suspended from the upper part by trusses and supported on a lower plane by two V-shaped pillars, generates a climate refuge for the city, incorporating spaces of shade and well-being for users. The building’s volume is organized in an L-shape on the first four floors, with another two smaller floors above them. In the mechanical floor, coinciding with the volume change, a green roof is built, creating spaces for possible events in contact with a large garden. Upon entering the building, the foyer is designed as an extension of the entrance plaza, with which it communicates through a completely glazed façade. Inside, the sensation of spaciousness is increased by a lateral skylight through which overhead light bathes a double-height space connecting the ground floor and the basement, a place where a large green wall and a singular staircase connect the two levels. Regarding circulation, an optimal building is conceived with a central core located at the inflection of the floor plan and that is attached to one of the interior facades of the passage, allowing the generation of very flexible office floors that have terraces at the ends, promoting the relationship of the workspaces with the exterior spaces. Externally, the building has a façade made up of a double skin with an external closure of vertical metal rods and an inner skin of ceramic cladding and large glazed openings. This external skin gives the building a continuous, homogeneous image that integrates well into its industrial setting, while it helps to reduce the energy demand for air conditioning. The office floors are all open-plan, as the load-bearing structure is located in the façades. Spans of 14 metres are generated using post-tensioned slabs, producing large, pillar-free spaces of over 1,000 m2. Another of the project’s innovations is the system of installations and ceilings. It has been decided to leave the installations exposed, thereby obtaining free heights of 3.15 m that provide better air and spatial quality and improve natural lighting. The interior of the offices is designed to be a calm, orderly environment, with a new concept of mixed ceiling where the noise-producing installations are housed in closed inspection strips at the sides, creating an attractive image while allowing for future flexibility of workstations thanks to the modularity of the proposal.