Regenerating and reconnecting Bilbao with Europe’s first LEED Platinum certified tower—Torre Iberdrola

Bilbao, Spain

Torre Iberdrola is the crowning point of the Abandoibarra development, which stretches from the tower to the Guggenheim Bilbao and includes projects by several of the world’s great architects. The elegant 41-story glass tower is the first tower in Europe to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating in sustainable design. Pelli Clarke & Partners designed the district’s master plan, which replaces outdated train yards and reconnects historic Bilbao to its waterfront.

To reduce the heat island effect, parking is located underground, covered at the surface level by lush greenery.

100%

of concrete removed from site was recycled

The light-filled multi-story lobby is finished in warm, honey-colored wood and stone.

An anchor to a new revitalization

The tower is the focal point of Bilbao’s Abandoibarra development and is the one vertical element in the composition, anchoring a new plaza, the Plaza Euskadi, on one of the city’s most important avenues, near the Nervión River. The tower’s graceful triangular form is derived from three segments of a cylinder tilted gently toward one another. In plan, the shape resembles a chevron, but with one side, the back, shorter. The two longer sides form a prow that points down the diagonal Elkano Avenue into the city, a gesture that is amplified by a sculptural glass and steel base.

100%

green power for core and shell spaces

The entrance lobby acts as an extension of the adjacent park, incorporating large planters and three magnificent centuries-old olive trees that welcome tenants to the building.

Cool interior air circulates through the cavity between the walls, drawing heat up and into the ceiling plenum, allowing the building to recapture heat from its exposed areas and delivering it to where the demand is highest.

Pioneering sustainability leading to new milestones

When the LEED program began in 1998, our sustainability aspirations during the design process grew to shape the tower into an exemplary sustainable model and a reflection of Iberdrola's environmental goals, utilizing the site’s significant visibility throughout the city. To achieve its LEED Platinum rating, a wide array of sustainable strategies were incorporated into the building’s design. Most significantly, Torre Iberdrola has a highly efficient double-wall glass façade. Cool interior air circulates through the cavity between the walls, drawing heat up and into the ceiling plenum, allowing the building to recapture heat from its exposed areas and delivering it to where the demand is highest. A continuous loop of 30°C (86°F) water runs through the building to assist in heating or cooling demands, depending on the season and time of day. Potable water consumption is reduced by 40 percent over that of a conventional building by using highly efficient fixtures, minimizing the irrigation, and implementing a system for filtration and reuse of graywater.