Located north-east of Madrid’s city centre in the Campo de las Naciones commercial district, the Endesa headquarters in Madrid fuses innovative workplace design with a highly progressive environmental programme. Won in international competition, the project was seen by the client – the largest electricity provider in Spain – as an opportunity to mark its commitment to low-energy design and the development of a sustainable approach to building services.

The heart of this five storey building is its great atrium, a reinterpretation of the traditional courtyard of the Mediterranean region. Here, three main lift cores serve the different levels while bridge links provide connections across this main circulation space. The offices, arranged around the atrium, have operable windows onto the space. The grand 3,000sqm atrium roof incorporates solar shading of fixed glass louvres to counter the burning Spanish summer sun without restricting natural light to the space below. Solar chimneys regulate airflow through the atrium based on seasonal climatic conditions.

Air drawn through underground ducts provides natural cooling to the atrium. The office spaces are cooled by a fan-coil displacement ventilation system. An outer skin of toughened and fritted glass strips provides shading on the southwest facade.