Spain is pioneering a beautiful new style of eco-friendly building

Commercial buildings are often boxy and glassy structures designed to maximize indoor space. But recent studies show that these modern buildings use more energy per square foot than office buildings built a hundred years ago.

All of our advances in building technology can’t overcome the fact that with so much glass, these building are hard to keep cool. In Spain, many contemporary commercial buildings use a simple and beautiful approach to solve this universal design problem.

Call it the architecture of wrapping. By adding an outer layer beyond the glass to control solar exposure, these Spanish buildings use minimal energy to keep occupants comfortable. This also allows the architects to add just the right amount of natural light inside to reduce energy-intensive artificial light.

The buildings take on a unique character. As I discuss in my book, "The Hyperlocalization of Architecture," a Barcelona library’s wrapping mimic books in a shelf, a Madrid police station transforms from a steely blue during the day to a lantern at night, and an office building in Bilbao reflects the fragments of a busy neighborhood around it. 

The Basque Health Department Headquarters is designed to stand out in the city of Bilbao. Its double exterior "skin" is suspended on a stainless steel scaffold protecting the glass curtain envelope and walkout balconies.

The second skin wards off noise, glaring heat, and cool ocean fog while creating a connection between the interior and the exterior. The fragmented glass in the structure reflects neighboring buildings while drawing the sky to street level.

Barcelona's Biblioteca de Can Llaurador yawns out of the landscape, gently funneling in passersby. Inspired by a bookshelf, the eastward light shelves cut the morning glare while giving the entrance an engaging presence.