From the Heart of Manhattan

When you aspire to be a global company there are certain places where you must be. New York has always been one of those spots, and Shanghai is increasingly becoming more and more important. That’s why in Onyx we always knew that sooner or later we should open an office in those cities and so we did, first in China earlier this year, and now also in what many consider the capital of the World, the city that never sleeps.

Onyx Solar office in New York

In Broadway, surrounded by theatres, restaurants and lights, lots of lights, we will have our home in the US. At the Manhattan’s heart, in Times Square, from where we will provide a better service to our customers in the country. Starting today, you can find us in the 1501 Broadway, allowing us, alongside with our net of representatives, to reach every corner of the largest economy in the World, a country with 350 million of inhabitants. Everything centralized from the city which hosts the most important decision-making centers in the construction sector.

Madrid has its own house in Shanghai

Onyx Solar Photovoltaic Atrium

Since the first Expo was held in London, in 1851, cities were never allowed to participate, regardless being home of 60% of World population and the places where the most important decisions are taken. But the organizers of this year’s edition decided to change this and invited 55 cities to showcase its urban improvements in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA). What’s more, 14 of those cities were allowed to have their own Pavilion, Madrid being the only Latin and Spanish city to do so.

This Pavilion is make up of the replicas of two iconic buildings located in Madrid: the Bioclimatic Tree and the Bamboo House, designed by Alejandro Zaera and his London study, the Foreign Office Architects (FOA). The house is covered by bamboo, although not completely in order to adapt the building to Shanghai’s climate conditions. The bamboo provides control over the sunbeams and serves as a thermal, acoustic and visual matress protecting the structure from rain and wind in Winter and from high temperatures in summer. The replica has an area of 600 sqm, is 18m high and has a máximum built area of 2400 sqm. It is divided into three spaces: two of them are for common use and the third one is reserved for institutional use only.

Photovoltaics atrium

One of the innovations implemented in regard to the original House is the installation of a PV atrium on the roof. Onyx Solar Energy has been in charge for developing the conceptual and functional design of the implemented structure (30 sqm). This atrium has an installed peak power of 840 W, capable of generating 1.090 kWh a year, feeding 55.000 light spots for an hour and avoiding the emmission of more than 1.000 kg of CO₂ a year.

This atrium is desinged according to the new architectural paradigm that is leading to the increasing growth of the Green Building concept. It is a solution meant to improve the building’s thermal conditions. First of all, its 10% semi-transparency serves to control the light getting into the structure, thus producing a better well-being and comfort for the inhabitants of the Bamboo House, reducing the energy needs.

Another advantage consists on the ventilation and humidity control in the interior of the house, as well as the technological innovation and the energy generation thanks to the integration of active and passive solar collectors. And last but not least, the risk for sismic damages has been reduced.

With the installation of the Bamboo House, Madrid City Hall is showcasing one of the most important symbols of the city’s sustainable design. As the slogan for the Pavilion says, “Madrid is your home”. An environmental friendly home crowned by Onyx Solar.

Source: Energética XXI

Spanish businesses support Madrid in Shanghai

Contributing more than three million euros, a total of 28 Spanish businesses and institutions are supporting Madrid’s presence at the Universal Exposition, which is being held this year between May and October in Shanghai. Through their collaboration they will help to promote the Madrid Pavilion at an international level. Madrid’s stand consists of two real and sustainable structures: The Casa de Bambú (Bamboo House) and the Árbol de Aire (Air Tree) are located in the “Urban Best Practices” area and have been designed to be environmentally friendly and to improve the quality of life of users.

Spanish companies within the renewable energy sector that have given their support to Madrid include Intemper, Climatewell, Elecnor, Grupo Unisolar, Onyx Solar and Uponor. In the fields of architecture and communication participants include Garrigues, Metro, Telefónica, Caja Madrid, EMT, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, MSL, Deloitte, La Caixa, Empresa Municipal Promoción de Madrid, Desarrollo de Franquicias en China, Ecosistema Urbano, Grupo Ferro Atlántica, Duch, Puerto de Valencia, Tropical Trees Company, S L, La Astorgana, Asispa, Mónico, British Airways, Finnair, and Air China which is acting as official carrier.

Madrid, which is participating in the Shanghai Expo under the slogan Better City, Better Life, will be showcasing a pavilion which includes a number of full scale houses and will be equipped with the latest technologies. The rest of the building will be used as an exhibition space showing the urban evolution of the city and the most important projects undertaken in recent years, such as the Calle 30 and Madrid Río projects.

The Bamboo House and the Air Tree

The Bamboo House will become part of the pavilion though inside there will be none of the original housing units. The exterior of the building will remain intact but it will be modified to adapt it to the local climate, enabling visitors to see how renewable energies are applied to such everyday things as air conditioning and light controls, through features integrated into the structure of the building, such as a solar atrium, the glazed north wall and, of course, the bamboo “skin”.

The Air Tree will also form part of the pavilion and will be different from its “siblings” in Madrid. As its name suggests, it will be dedicated to wind energy and will be equipped with small windmills for producing electricity and a huge ventilator that will help keep visitors cool. Madrid’s participation will continue beyond the Expo because the two installations will remain in Shanghai as a legacy of our city and as a means of maintaining relations with China and improving Madrid’s image in this Asian country and the world in general.

These two projects are representative of the commitment the City Council has made in recent years to creating a more sustainable and habitable city. And this has been recognised by the Shanghai Expo as Madrid is the only Spanish city which has been individually selected to participate in the Urban Best Practices section. In this space, along with the 30 other world cities selected, Madrid will showcase its strategy for urban regeneration and its environmentally friendly public housing policy.