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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Hotel Vincci Gala in Barcelona, Spain by TBI Architecture & EngineeringNovember 1st, 2014 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: TBI Architecture & Engineering The Hotel Vincci Gala is a four-star hotel with 78 rooms, bar, restaurant, meeting rooms, and various terraces, situated in a period building in Barcelona´s Eixample district. The design of the new Hotel Vincci Gala is marked by two requirements. Firstly, the obligation of the Monument Protection Department of Barcelona to conserve both the facade and a large white marble staircase in the inside of the building and secondly, the name of the Hotel: “Gala” referring to the wife and muse of the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach
 Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Gala and Dalí formed an unlikely pair and similarly, the project reconciles multiple contrasts between the old and the new, the discrete the extravagant, the elegant and the informal. The color gold is the keynote of this hotel that is repeated in different shades and applications, both on the external facade and the interior of the building, combined with organic shapes and contrasts between light and dark. The main material is metal in contrast to the stone and marble of the original architecture. In addition to architecture and interior design, the TBI office is also responsible for lighting, decoration and graphic design which have achieved a complete and homogeneous design up to the last detail.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Common areas:  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach In the transition to the bar, the pavement changes from black marble to light oak flooring to create a warm atmosphere fusing modern with old and elegant with informal. The lounge area is situated beside the central staircase. Wooden covered pillars form a barcode frame a protected and comfortable space with a private atmosphere. The restaurant with the breakfast buffet and two meeting rooms is located in the basement. A flexible system of mobile partition panels enable the space to be divided as necessary, adapting it to the required use.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Central atrium: Golden aluminum chains hang like an enormous veil over the glass balustrades. Dark linear patterns are integrated in order to create a singular optical effect. In addition, strings of LED light have been integrated into the hand rails making the golden curtain shine. The unique geometric design of the curtains has been extended to the doors of the rooms and the patterns on the flooring in the hallways, creating together the sensation of a virtual space, characterized by the superposition of light, transparency, texture and the golden color.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Main facade: The facade of the extension consists of a curtain wall and a layer of panels of expanded metal and creates a dynamic facade with a composition of openings and variations of orientations of the expanded metal that is enclosed by the existing cornice and a new top section. The golden shade and vertical openings creates a unit with the existing facade.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Inner courtyard:  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Hotel rooms:  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Illumination: Illumination is an essential part of the project and is resolved by indirect linear lighting and decorative suspended lamps, with special attention to the tone and color of the light. A lighting control system allows the creation of light scenes and helps to save electricity is installed in the rooms.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Graphic design: Sustainability: The goal of the project was to exploit the full potential by creating a sustainable hotel, both through architectural elements and system installations. The atrium joins all levels and provides the building with natural light.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach Special attention has been given to the design of the inner courtyard facade which is orientated to the south. Using prefabricated GRC (glass reinforced concrete) panels, a facade was created with small openings, balconies, awnings and sun protection panels – all of which are architectural elements commissioned to protect the facade of the solar radiation and prevent the overheating of rooms. Also recycled materials and coatings with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions were used to improve indoor air quality. The Reduction of electricity consumption is achieved by using LED lightning in most of the building and a control and management system that facilitates control of power consumption of the building at anytime.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach One of the points with the greatest impact on energy consumption of a hotel is the generation of domestic hot water. Obviating the use of the standard solution with solar panels, TBI proposed to the client an innovative system of cogeneration based on heat pumps that use natural gas as fuel for the air conditioning of the hotel. By using a heat exchanger the heat produced by the motor can be reused for generating hot water. Thus achieving a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from 305 to 85 kg CO2 / m2 year and energy consumption from 503,8 to 144, 5 kWh / m2 year, relative to a reference building with the same characteristics. So the Vincci Hotel Gala is one of the first hotels in Barcelona labeled with the building energy rating “A”.  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach  Image Courtesy © José Hevia Blach  Image Courtesy © TBI Architecture & Engineering  Image Courtesy © TBI Architecture & Engineering  Image Courtesy © TBI Architecture & Engineering  Image Courtesy © TBI Architecture & Engineering
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