Tall buildings

In the global context of mass metropolization, the increase in urban density and vertical growth offered by tall buildings can support cities that are more sustainable and healthier for people, mitigating the growing effects of climate change around the world.

The design and construction of a tall building is the most complex challenge that an architect can face. Constraints such as cost, schedule, and program demands must be reconciled with the more subjective aspects of design: the fluidity of the aesthetic, the culture of the place, and the user experience. From a design point of view, skyscrapers represent the main catalyst for the evolution of cities through immediately defining their visual identity and due to their ability to attract new businesses and people by offering first-rate infrastructure and convenient services in high-demand locations.

The enormous complexity of high-rise buildings requires great experience and the coordination of all technical aspects to ensure economic viability. A small change in the height of the floors, a minor modification to a façade, the selection of the structural or vertical circulation system can all have a big impact on the cost of construction, the carbon footprint, the cost of operation or the commercialization of the asset.

In this line of work, Ortiz León has more than 20 years’ experience in designing skyscrapers in major Spanish cities. Projects such as the Mapfre Tower in the Olympic Village of Barcelona, the Crystal Tower in Madrid, the Iberdrola Tower in Bilbao, and the Sailing in the City of BBVA have endorsed the studio as a Spanish representative at the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a Chicago-based think tank which collects technological, typological and construction advances that are being developed across the globe.