Passivhaus are housing construction models whose main characteristic is energy efficiency. But since caring for the planet is trendy, this construction model has the almost mandatory requirement of a design with high aesthetic standards that almost becomes a status symbol for those fortunate enough to inhabit them.
Thus, a new complex based on this new architectural style has been built on Mallorca, taking luxury and modernism to a new level. Paseo Mallorca 15 is the new sensation on the island, a building whose façade design has an interactive and changing character.
A 100% passive construction
Passivhaus buildings aim to have a minimum environmental impact, being self-sustainable with a special emphasis on minimum energy consumption. To achieve this, the constructions follow three premises:
- Super insulation: buildings must have effective insulation that allows them to maintain internal heat in the winter months and protect them from external heat in the summer, thus reducing energy consumption for heating or ventilation. In the case of Paseo Mallorca 15, the rooms are covered by a solid facade that achieves this goal.
- Airtight: a compact construction prevents air leakage ensuring greater thermal stability and, at the same time, generates a safer environment, free of bacteria, dust, and odors, as well as insulating external noise. The OHLAB studio (authors of Paseo Mallorca 15) achieved this goal by cladding most of the building’s façade with triple-layer glass that leaves the internal spaces completely insulated.
- Thermal control and lighting: OHLAB studio covered the entire building with movable wooden panels that filter the streams of natural light that pass through the windows, ensuring that both warmth and brightness are integrated into daily life according to the wishes of its inhabitants.
A façade in motion
The wooden panels that cover the façade of Paseo Mallorca 15 give residents the opportunity to decide where and how the light enters and how much of their privacy they let passers-by see. In this way, the building’s façade panels become a constantly changing project that plays a bit of a “hide and seek” game.
All this is complemented by private pool terraces in the penthouses, a vertical garden in the lobby of the building, bamboo columns in the public areas and the use of local woods and top-quality materials to achieve high finishes. A construction that’s taking Mallorca’s urban landscape by storm and is emerging as a model to follow in terms of Passivhaus.