The stylish Las Golondrinas development on Spain's Costa del Sol guarantees its residents privacy and all-day ideal light conditions for the units. The lasting energy efficiency of the tailored FINSTRAL Nova-line windows is ensured by insulating glass units with premium warm frames - SWISSPACER Ultimate.
The La Carihuela district in Torremolinos, Spain, is known for its active beach life during the summer season. Just 50 meters from the promenade, the Eido architectural office has designed an iconic building - a distinctive facade combining a large amount of aluminum, glass and ceramics. Eleven individually designed holiday apartments and one penthouse located on the roof were created on three levels. In doing so, it managed to provide ideal exposure to natural light combined with beautiful sea views, while protecting the apartments' interiors from too much Mediterranean sun.
Expressive architecture
Bring out the best from this narrow property, this is the maxim that guided the architects. There are terraces and loggias to the southeast facing the beach, and the building opens up to the morning sun thanks to large glass surfaces. Powerful bulkhead walls separate the apartments and provide intimacy and privacy. Sunshades provide shade and coolness during the hours of the sun's most intense impact. The various shapes of the glazed balconies emphasize their individual character and give the building a unique character. On the opposite side of the building, a simple facade balances the entire architectural mass, and large-format windows provide ideal ventilation and good illumination.
The building's facades are constructed from three materials - large-format weather-resistant glazing, bright glossy aluminum panels and durable, earthy ceramic cladding.
photo: FInstal
Glass facade
In the apartments, residents are to get the impression that they are directly on the sea. The interior is intended to meld with the outdoor space, and so, in accordance with the developer's wishes, the southeast facade is completely glazed. The windows, with a room height of 2.65 meters, contribute to the impression of light flooding the interiors, and thanks to the almost invisible window frames, the view to the outside is perfect and minimalist. Just as the forms are varied, so are the dimensions of the designed windows. Each apartment in Las Golondrinas has different window sizes. The architects were looking for a customized solution that would provide both adequate thermal and acoustic properties, as well as provide exceptional aesthetics for the building.
Thermally and aesthetically perfect
The architects opted for an external covered window sash, by which it is impossible to tell whether one is dealing with an opening or fixed glazing. This not only gives the impression of elegant aesthetics, but also guarantees much more daylight inside the building. The double-chambered insulating glass units made of nearly clear glass combine effective solar protection with high light transmission, and thanks to glass of different thicknesses, they also meet the strict acoustic protection requirements of Las Golondrinas. Due to their excellent weather resistance, the architects opted for satin white plastic profiles, which effectively resist the effects of sea salt and require only minimal maintenance. In addition, the satin white surface of the windows is aesthetically perfectly harmonized with the bright interiors of the premises.
The northwest facade is well structured - and the large window openings provide intense daylight deep into the apartments. SWISSPACER Ultimate premium warm frames minimize heat loss at the edge of the glass.
Photo: Finstral
Energy efficiency with premium warm frames
The insulating glass units are equipped with premium warm spacers - SWISSPACER Ultimate. They are characterized by very low thermal conductivity (λ value) at the edge of the glass, and thanks to their excellent ψ parameters, they ensure a correspondingly low heat transfer coefficient (U value) at windows and facades. According to ift Rosenheim guidelines WA-17/1 & WA-08/3, SWISSPACER Ultimate warm frames are one of the best warm spacer solutions in the world. SWISSPACER Ultimate convinces both technically and aesthetically: the high stability of the profile guarantees perfect parallelism of the frames and a long period of function and use. This frame avoids condensation on the window and minimizes the danger of mold, thus making a significant contribution to the comfort of the home. SWISSPACER warm frames are available in various widths, up to 36 mm. An additional advantage is also the exceptionally wide color palette consisting of up to 17 different colors. Besides, the matte surface of the frames guarantees an elegant and subdued appearance as well as a modern design.
