Design-driven energy efficiency at Barcelona Tower Hotel

Design-driven energy efficiency at Barcelona Tower Hotel

As a single-source, global solution provider, Schneider Electric helps Barcelona Tower Hotel achieve 30% energy savings through the design, installation and integration of software, systems and connected devices.

The Barcelona Tower Hotel is situated in the district of Bellvitge in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. Its 105 metre tower spans 29 floors and is topped by The Dome — a stunning glass roof cupola that serves as a unique space for events and special occasions. The property was designed by famous British architect Richard Rogers together with Luis Alonso and Sergi Balaguer, and features 280 luxurious guest rooms with designer aesthetics and great views over Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. Other amenities include junior, duplex and presidential suites, a health club, luxury spa, indoor pool, a trendy bar and the contemporary Restaurant Bouquet.

Barcelona Tower also offers the largest hotel-based event centre in the city. Its 5,000 m2 Convention Center has 22 multi-configuration meeting rooms and two terraces with space for up to 1,800 people, as well as the eight-metre-high, 1,600 m2 Cosmos Ballroom and a fully-equipped auditorium, which seats up to 480 people.

Barcelona Tower is part of NH Hotel Group, one of the top 25 chains in the world and one of the main chains in Europe. NH Hotel Group operates nearly 400 hotels with close to 60,000 rooms in 29 countries across Europe, America and Africa.

Goals and challenges

Barcelona Tower is a very ambitious building, with a design that is focused on energy efficiency and bioclimatic technologies. Its structure is made of concrete, aluminium and natural stones. A key objective was to combine the highest level of comfort with optimum energy efficiency. The property has achieved Gold Level status in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders programme, which was designed in collaboration with the US Green Building Council’s LEED Certification Programme, the United Nations Environment
Programme and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR programme.

Foundation work for Barcelona Tower began in the summer of 2003 and the hotel opened in 2006. Services to the hotel and upgrades have been implemented in 2008 and 2009. Schneider Electric was originally considered to implement only the electrical distribution in the hotel. Thanks to a strong collaboration with the hotel operator, Schneider Electric was able to understand the specific needs of this project and to build, with its partners, an added value proposal that resulted in a much larger offer scope.

The solution: Driving efficiency through integrated technology

The EcoStruxureTM Building solution provided by Schneider Electric followed the building code regulations defined in Spain’s Technical Building Code, Codigo Tecnico de Edificacion (CTE). Energy savings are estimated to be up to 30%. Key savings in this project have been achieved through the installation and integration of Schneider Electric software, systems and connected devices.

Result

Thanks to the excellent design-phase planning and collaboration between Schneider Electric and Barcelona Tower, the hotel enjoys the advantage of a complete, integrated solution from a single solution provider which was specifically designed to help the hotel meet its energy efficiency goals.

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