THE BLACK BOX · ÁVILA, SPAIN
RENOVATION
The Black Box is the hub where our diverse team converge daily to innovate in the realm of Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV). It’s the epicenter of our endeavors to develop the building materials of the 21st century. Initially, The Black Box was an office building featuring solid concrete exterior walls and windows.
We transformed it by installing a photovoltaic rainscreen cladding system crafted from amorphous silicon photovoltaic glass panels. This system incorporates both fully opaque photovoltaic glass for the solid façade areas and 20% VLT glass panels to cover the original windows. A rainscreen cladding made with solar safety laminated glass panels is one of the best constructive solutions to integrate photovoltaics into a building.
It has several advantages:
- It generates clean and renewable energy from the sun, reducing the building’s carbon footprint and dependence on fossil fuels.
- It improves the thermal and acoustic insulation of the building, lowering the heating and cooling costs and enhancing the indoor comfort.
- It protects the building from weather damage and reduces the maintenance costs.
- It offers design flexibility and aesthetic appeal, as the solar panels can be customized in size, shape, color and transparency.
Additionally, the photovoltaic glass enhances the building's performance by ensuring optimal energy generation while providing shading and insulation, which helps regulate indoor temperatures. This installation has not only modernized the appearance of The Black Box but has also turned it into an efficient, sustainable structure that showcases the potential of solar technology in architecture. The project stands as a prime example of how innovative photovoltaic solutions can seamlessly merge functionality with architectural vision, pushing the boundaries of green building design.
"There is no better way to study and make known our product than to install and monitor it in our own offices. In addition to generating energy, it confers a great aesthetic value on the building and the heating and cooling requirements have decreased, thanks to the thermal insulation provided by our façade in comparison with the traditional type”.
