Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Iberdrola Tower, the tallest building

We all stared at the tallest building in the world that opened last year. the 828-metre building was erected in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. What was previously the tallest, it did not stop behind; the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan measures 509 meters. Behind such impressive structures are, without a doubt, impressive architectural and engineering works. The Iberdrola Tower will also be inaugurated in Bilbao in the autumn. It is the tallest building ever built in the Basque Country, measuring 165 meters. We visited with Javier Urruchua, the architect who raised the tower.

It may be a lot to say, but for the architect Javier Urruchua, the Iberdrola Tower is like a son or a daughter. Although the building bears the surname of the Argentine architect César Pelli, he has been the one who has directed the construction process of the tower from the beginning: little by little, he has seen it grow from only zero meters to 165 meters long. the first stone was installed on March 19, 2007, and it has taken 1,413 days to reach the top, from the ground to the heliport.

Javier Urruchua, Torre Iberdrola, Director: The heliport is 178, 3 meters above sea level, which is an absolute height.
They're on their last show at the front desk. May-June was the deadline for completing the building, and that is where they will be walking. From now on, just put the tower on. If all goes well, the official opening will take place in September, at the latest in October. The 3500 people who will work in the Iberdrola Tower will be distributed from this place. It has a capacity for almost 800 cars underground. As a curiosity, bicycle users will also have their own parking space with dressing room, shower and charging areas for electric cars.

Javier Urruchua, Torre Iberdrola, Director: there will be 22 elevators in all, distributed in three batteries that go from the 7th floor 27.era. Then we have the ones that go through the entry 6.era and another battery 28.etik for the 35.

At the moment the forklift is the only one that is providing the service and we have gone up the tower in the harexes.
They're not elevators like the ones we know. The forklift itself runs at a speed of 3.5 m/s and those that reach the top of the tower reach six meters per second.

Javier Urruchua, Torre Iberdrola, Director: It should be noted that a typical elevator that we have in our homes operates at a speed of between 0.6 and 1 meter per second. The difference is big. These are uncommon; we can say that, among the cachots, they are spaceships that go at full speed. You're up in the fastest 30 seconds.

The Swiss company Schlinder has implemented an intelligent system to manage the movements of more than 3,000 people that will accumulate during peak hours. At the reception, each passenger will indicate to the system where he/she is going and the system will analyze all requests and tell him/her which elevator to take. Lifts are without buttons. Without having to wait, a quick and above all non-congested trip is achieved in this way.

In Pelli’s design, the three sides of the building would converge at a height of one kilometer, like a pyramid, so the surface of the floors is smaller as we go up. The plan is the same for everyone: in the center there are lifts, stairs and a vertical patio for multiple communications and supplies, and in the outside there are offices. we're on the 19th floor. This is where the pilot office has been installed, which represents what the workplaces of the tower will look like. What you see is more important than what you don’t see in the Iberdrola Tower.

Javier Urruchua; Torre Iberdrola, Director: Iberdrola Dorrean, ingurumen- eta jasangarritasun-ziurtagiri bat lortzeko bidea egin dugu hasieratik, eta Estatu Batuetako LEED ziurtagiria lortu dugu. One of the requirements to be met under this certification was energy savings. What we call the curtain wall is an active facade: the building has a double glazed roof, with an intermediate air chamber, an active chamber. This chamber is
connected to the air conditioning system from the top, to which we have installed a grille at the bottom. In this way, the air circulates and, for example, when it is hot, there is no need for a heating system.

There are also blinds between the two crystals. As a result of a luminosity sensor on the outside of the building, the angle of the blinds tables changes inwards to allow less or more light
to enter. On the last three floors, air conditioning, emergency electricity generator and other facilities. The elevator only reaches the 38th floor: to reach the top of the tower it is necessary to use the feet. The view is beautiful. From the south vertex you can see the Gorbea and to the north the sea, where there is no fog. Lack of final details here. The heliport is missing the hachea, where helicopters will land, but only emergency flights will be allowed, not private flights. From this crane, the glass cleaning vessel will be hung. He's gonna be on the rails all the way around.
We look at Bilbao from the top, 165 meters from the top; even if the tallest buildings in San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz were placed on top of each other, the Iberdrola Tower would be taller. Keeping thousands of tons of cement, steel and glass standing also provides magic.

Javier Urruchua; Torre Iberdrola, Director: Let’s think that if we put this building in Hong Kong, New York or Abu Dhabi it would be small. But I would think the same way in front of a building that is 800 meters tall.

And not magic, but the truth is that at the top of the tallest buildings you can see the movement. The tower itself moves when the wind blows.

Javier Urruchua; Torre Iberdrola, Director: Yeah, that's right. It is not noticeable, but it is calculated and it is also convenient to move the building. In the worst case, with strong winds and a knee effect, it would be 20 centimeters to one side and the other.