The Fire Training Tower in Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, with its exposed brick facades, echoes the material of the city walls and the residential towers in the neighbourhood. Designed by Carles Enrich Studio, the tower is based on a grid of concrete columns and beams that form a three-dimensional web on a square floor plan. The choice of materials meets the criteria of integration into the landscape, as well as durability, maintenance and ease of construction.
Carles Enrich Studio
Adrià Goula
Infrastructure and landscape
The project for a fire training tower in Vall d'Hebron presented the challenge of meeting the functional requirements of the activity, while accepting the status of a highly visible element in the north of Barcelona. The configuration of the tower helps to connect a complex environment made up of different isolated parts. Its materiality creates a landscape link with the neighbourhoods of Sant Genís and Carmel, thanks to the treatment of the exposed brick façade, which relates to the surrounding party walls and residential towers.
System and materiality
A 7.15-metre square plan is proposed, based on a grid of concrete columns and beams that create a three-dimensional network from which four 2 x 2-metre free spaces are obtained on each floor, in order to accommodate a variety of spatial situations with maximum adaptability to the programme.
The choice of materials is based on the criteria of integration into the landscape, but also on durability, maintenance, resistance to shocks and ease of construction. Only 3 materials are used to differentiate and optimise the construction process: concrete for the structure, ceramic tiles for the cladding and metal elements for the panels, balustrades and balconies.
The programme
The envelope is configured as a circumferential circulation space that gives access to all the elements of the façade and, in turn, allows the different levels to be connected without interfering with the activities that can be carried out inside, promoting a great simultaneity of practices. The perimeter staircase runs through all 9 floors, while inside, extreme situations have been recreated to allow the firefighters to develop their practices (double and triple rooms, spiral staircases, cat staircases, wells, doors, windows, etc.). Finally, on the outside, there are balconies in various positions to improve rappelling and vertical rescue training.
