Designed by architect Rafael de La-Hoz and located in Cadiz, Spain, the Towers of Hercules have a height of 126 meters, and are the tallest buildings in Andalucia, Spain, a record that previously was …
Designed by architect Rafael de La-Hoz and located in Cadiz, Spain, the Towers of Hercules have a height of 126 meters, and are the tallest buildings in Andalucia, Spain, a record that previously was held by Giralda. Vitro Cristalglass supplied the project with 5,500 sq.m. of architectural glass with characteristics for safety, thermal insulation and solar ray control. The Towers of Hercules rise out of an artificial lake composed of two sheets of recycled water. The majestic structure is comprised of two identical cylindrical towers joined by a crystal pyramid with footbridges for communication. Both towers measure a total of 19,600 sq.m. (approximately 210,896 sq. ft.) of actual construction. The top floor of the building houses a restaurant with a panoramic view and on top of this is a panoramic platform to view the extraordinary vistas of the Gibraltar Straits. The facade, with a structural function, is made with reinforced white concrete and this holds the double pane glazed glass with an air chamber that adjusts perfectly to the basic demands of energy savings, colourless tint and solar ray control. The supplier of the special glass was the sole responsibility of Vitro Cristalglass, which responded by offering the types of architectural glass that best fitted the needs of this iconic office building. We decided on a combination approach in the form of double glazed Isolar Glas and solar control glass Solarlux Natural 60/40 with a transparent feature that reduces solar incidence in the building“s interior without reducing interior brightness, points out Alberto Gomez, marketing manager for Vitro Cristalglass. Solarlux glass has a major influence on protection of the environment, as it reduces the energy flow and solar light that bathes the building and thus reduces energy consumption. He adds that they also integrated safety glass Multipact into the project as this gives a high degree of impact and breakage resistance combined with good thermal insulation qualities. For the communication walkways we selected Solarlux Neutro 62 with a transparent appearance, he concludes. In summary this new complex constitutes the most ambitious development in Andalucia and represents the union of originality and innovation with mythological features.