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MERRIMACK IV OFFICE BUILDING
2002. MADRID

MERRIMACK IV OFFICE BUILDING AND GARAGE - 30, JOSEFA VALCÁRCEL St. AND 11 TELEMACO St.- MADRID


This building has seven floors on the grade line (G+6) for office use and two floors under the grade line for use as garage-parking, with a total built surface of 16,506.43 m2.


The plot where the building is located has a surface of 5,977.40 m2 with access routes from 30, Josefa Valcárcel street and from 11, Telémaco St.


BASIC CRITERIA


Planning of the building


Basically, what we have tried to achieve is to make the building flexible enough to accommodate several companies in offices of the same size. We have also tried to prepare the building in order to be used by one or several big companies.


Considering the funds available for the construction and exploitation of the building, the optimal solution was to build a single structure and reduce to a minimum its public areas. This building structure should be developed in order to allow the possibility of dividing it into segments, both at the floor level, with the aim of obtaining offices of different sizes, as well as vertically, in order to use these segments as independent buildings.


Visibility


The conditions of the plot, among them the fact of having facades opening onto opposite streets, allowed us to raise the Ground Floor level 1.50 m above the average height of the line that links the midpoints of both facades.


The position, as well as the volume of the building planned, allow a perfect view from the surroundings and, more specifically, from Avenida de América Street.


Accessibility


Inside the plot, a road in the shape of a ring has been built with entry and exit to and from both streets. The main access is located in Josefa Valcárcel St, where a control hut has been placed.


Such road is used by pedestrians and vehicles to enter the building, the subterranean parking and the surface parking.


The surface parking has a total of 46 parking spaces.


Use of the space under the grade line


Two floors have been planned under the grade line. These will be used as garage-parking and to locate the installations of the building.
The pedestrian access to these floors is done via the centre of communications of the building. This centre comprises a battery of six lifts as well as two stairs compartmentalised following the pattern of the ones located above.


From outside, the access of vehicles is done via two double-way ramps 6 m wide each, which are near to the streets of access.


AESTHETIC CRITERIA


From the aesthetic point of view, the building has been designed longitudinally, in accordance with the shape of the plot and symmetrically to a transverse axis, with side facades developed on a curved plane.


In the horizontal plane, the modulation has been established in multiples of 0.60 m and, in the vertical plane, the modules measure 0.95 m and 1.22 m.


In the vertical plane, the sequence of three modules of 0.95 m coincides with the clear height of each of the floors (2.85 m). The module of 1.22 m coincides with the space necessary for the framing and for the location of the installations. This four modules together determine the total height of 4.07 m of every floor.


The facades have been planned with a light siding made up of sections that support a curtain wall. This siding comprises glass volumes with workable elements that can be opened towards the exterior, with lower opening and combined with pieces faced with granite. This siding can be totally dismantled.


FUNCTIONAL CRITERIA


From the fuctional point of view, the building has been divided into modules according to a basic reticle of 0.60 m x 0.60 m in the horizontal plane that is used as base for the dimensional coordination of the different elements of the building.


The solution consists in placing a double bay, being the distance between both facades 15.60 m, i.e. 26 modules of 0.60 m, which allows us to lay out a central corridor with offices facing both facades, offices facing a single facade and areas of landscape offices. In all cases, we have kept natural light and, according to our experience, this is achieved by placing bays of a similar width.
The solution planned comprises useable office surfaces of 267.10 m2 in the Ground floor and 620.59 m2 (half the surface of a floor) or 1,241.18 m2 (one floor), in the Average Floors.


The connection between all the floors of the building is done via a centre of vertical communications composed of a group of six lifts, two of them with double access at the Ground floor level and the possibility to be used as goods lifts, and two stairs that continue up to the roofing and that are separated from the flights that connect with the basements.


The four central lifts have been planned in order to withstand a net load of 630 kg, with capacity for eight people and a speed of 1.6 m/s.
The lifts located at the sides have been planned in order to withstand a net load of 800 Kg, with capacity for ten people and a speed of 1.6 m/s.


The distribution by floors is the following:


FIRST AND SECOND BASEMENTS


Parking-garage


The parking floors are linked by two double-way ramps. In these floors are distributed a total of 140 parking spaces, 68 in the first basement and 72 in the second basement.


The indoor roads are 5.50 m wide and double-way.
Installations


The technical rooms planned for the top floors also pass through these two floors and they are connected with the areas planned as installations rooms.


The installations areas will be used for the activities listed below:


First basement:


- Electrical switchboard rooms
- Electrical meter rooms
- Data centre
- Toilets and changing rooms
- Refuse storage chambers
- Extraction rooms
- Fire deposit
- Gardening tools room
Second basement:
- Reserve room for telecommuncations
- Telecommunications rooms
- Extraction rooms
- Maintenance room
- Fire pressure group
- Plumbing pressure group


The first basement has a total built surface of 2,634.28 m2 and the second basement a total of 2,734.99 m2.


GROUND FLOOR


The Ground floor has a built surface of 1,563.77 m2 and a lobby that can be accessed via two revolving doors and four folding doors located at each side of the former.


The reception is located in this lobby. Two offices with an elevation of 1 m are also planned at both sides of the lobby.


Inside each of these offices are found separate toilets for men and women. Likewise, there is a platform opening onto the back facade for placing independent equipment.


This floor has an access on the back road for staff and goods. Such access consists in two double-wing doors. These doors are directly linked with two lifts fitted as goods lifts located at each end of the group of lifts, and which have double access at this level. All these routes of access are connected to the general lobby.

AVERAGE FLOORS


In every floor, the access to the offices is done through a lobby that accommodates the centre of vertical communications and two cleaning rooms for the public areas.


Following the pattern of the Ground Floor, all the offices have separated toilets for men and women. Likewise, these offices have a platform opening onto the back facade for placing independent equipment.


The six floors of the building that are exactly alike have a built surface of 1,535.89 m2.


ROOFING FLOOR


The access to the roofing floor is done via the two existing groups of stairs. In this floor, the following elements can be found: room for the lift machinery, rooms for the telecommunications infrastructure, rooms for the boilers, pumps and electrical switchboards, and rooms to locate the electric signs panels.


On the remaining space of the roofing, the following equipment has been distributed: climatisers, toilet extractors, power generator, air-conditioning cooling units. All these elements are hidden by a lattice located perimetrally to the roof.


FOUNDATION AND STRUCTURE


FOUNDATION


The foundation planned for the building comprises isolated footings, and a structure made up of walls, concrete pillars and reticulated framings with salvable coffer.


On the basis of the geotechnical study carried out, it has been planned a direct foundation with isolated or extended footings, with a maximum stress level for the plot of 2,5-3,0 Kp/cm2.


STRUCTURE


The structure consists of reinforced concrete made up of reticulated framings with salvable coffer 40 cm thick.


These framings rest on supporting structures with rectangular section, which have been calculated in order to withstand the horizontal efforts resulting from the action of the wind. This is because the building has no screens nor specific bridgings to withstand such actions.


A metal lattice will be placed on the roofing to support the installations.
Two structural ex

pansion joints have been planned in order to withstand the thermal and rheological efforts.


FACADES


CURTAIN WALL


The curtain wall will be carried out using a structural, fixed and self-supporting silicone system, with straight and polygonal plan, glazed areas, as well as coated and plated areas.


Se procederá a la formación de un muro cortina, realizado con el sistema de silicona estructural, fijo autoportante, de planta recta y poligonal, con zonas acristaladas, forradas y de aplacado.


Glazed areas


Double glazing composed of exterior tempered SOLARLUX GREEN PLUS 18/15 glass, 8 mm thick, air space chamber of 12 mm and NEUTRALUX glass 6 mm thick in the interior.
Coated areas


Blind panel 35 mm thick that will comprise an exterior aluminium sheet coating 3 mm thick with rock wool insulation of 30 mm and galvanised sheet 1 mm thick in the interior.


Plated areas


Exterior sheets made up of GRANITO AMARILLO CÁCERES (Yellow Cáceres granite), 30 mm thick, which are joint to the portative sections by structural Silicone.


CLEANING AND PRESERVATION


In order to clean and preserve the facades, we use a gondola with perimetral trajectory, a system of sliding tracks and a maintenance catwalk that rests on a structure resulting from the extension of the supporting elements of the building and their union with beams.

 

 

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