Blood Bank Catalonia: a new reference in energy consumptionThe new building of the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia is an international reference project for sustainable construction. The building consumes 87% less energy than traditional office blocks. ETAP supplied the lighting — hyper efficient and perfectly integrated into the architecture.The Blood and Tissue BankThe Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia is a public enterprise responsible for blood collection and analysis amongst other activities. Until recently, these activities were scattered over many locations in Barcelona. The new building brings all 600 employees together under one roof.
Architect Joan Sabaté (SaAS) designed a clean rectangular six level block with an additional underground level. The building utilizes thick walls to provide excellent thermal control. All aspects of the building were designed to meet strict functional requirements and with the intent to dramatically reduce energy usage and take advantage of daylight with DALI control for luminaires. The engineering services were provided by Grupo JG Ingenieros Consultores and Bartenbac provided SaAS services to model artificial and natural light.
Adaptation to the task
Sabaté engaged ETAP to provide the lighting solution, because of their proven expertise in energy-efficiency. ‘This was no routine project though,’ explains ETAP project manager Juan Alcaraz. “The interior of the building is rather complex and serves many specific but separate functions. Different areas (office, laboratories, etc) are equipped with the same U5 luminaire but adapted to the task (open reflectors, IP cover), employing various ceiling types, a wide variety of building materials, and with specific lighting requirements. We had to find out which solution would be the best for each room in terms of functionality, performance, and efficiency. We succeeded. The lighting system consumes more than 35% less energy compared with traditional solutions with an astonishing visual comfort.”
Made to measure for perfect integration
Energy-efficiency was not the only challenge however. Juan Alcaraz: “The architect wanted the lighting integrated into his creation. Therefore, we decided to have the emergency lights built into the main luminaires. However, Sabaté also provided specifications for colours, gloss, materials, and fixing means. We designed and manufactured more than 1,000 made to measure luminaires, a job that we can manage perfectly with our flexible manufacturing facilities.“
The building has been awarded with the GreenLight label.
Project sheet:
- 746 x U5 office lighting with specific layout for each floor
- 225 x IP44 luminaries for the laboratories
- 121 x K1 and K9 emergency lighting (K9 integrated into the main luminaries)
- 70 x K5 emergency lighting
- 185 x E3 general lighting in the parking area