Customized solution for La Moraleja

Architect：Juan Carlos Soriano SLP

Location：Madrid, Spain; | ;View Map

Category：Residential Landscape

Stories By：Juan Carlos Soriano SLP;ULMA Architectural Solutions

Key to the architect’s restoration of this residential building in Madrid was finding a solution for the poor condition of the building’s prefabricated terrace parapets. Working together with ULMA, the parapets - made of cement mortar and reinforced steel rebars - were replaced with polymer concrete prefabricated parts that are supported on an aluminium auxiliary structure. The original shapes and textures of the panels are restored, as is their function as a characteristic feature of the building’s skin.

The project has been conducted on a singular building at the residential development “El Soto  de la Moraleja” in Madrid. 

Given the poor condition of the prefabricated parts of the building's terrace parapets made of  cement mortar reinforced with steel rebars, they have been replaced by polymer concrete  prefabricated parts without reinforcement and supported on an aluminium auxiliary structure  reproducing  the  original  shape  and  texture  and  adjusting  them  to  their  function  as  a  characteristic element on the building's skin. 

Due to years of damage, the terrace facades pieces of this residential building in Madrid were old and in danger of detaching. The building’s owner wished to preserve the creative shapes of the panels and thus a customized solution was developed by ULMA. The building's façade was scanned to obtain a 3D printed piece of terrace façade. From this, replacement panels were created in polymer concrete, a homogenous, monolithic material, with no reinforcements and the added benefit of being highly water-resistant.

Due to the years and weather damage, the terrace face pieces were old and there was a danger of detachment.

There were cracked panels on the front, coinciding with the location of the reinforcements. Similarly, longitudinal cracks were observed on the underside, also coinciding with the panel's reinforcements in this area.

In addition, water filtrations from the planters affected the prefabricated panels, causing rust on their reinforcements and auxiliary support structure.

The owners decided to replace the damaged original pieces, which have very creative shapes and give the building great personality.

As a customized solution was required, with the purpose of obtaining similar, but more resistant, pieces, ULMA had to scan a significant section of the building's facade in order to obtain a 3D-printed piece of the existing model. From this first piece, the moulds were manufactured, which were used to obtain the first prototypes sent to the site. After the customer's final approval, a specific substructure for the installation of the pieces on the facade was designed, defined and developed.

We replaced the parapets on the fronts of the terraces on each floor, including the replacement of the exterior panel that is part of the facade's cladding system, together with the brick masonry batter and the planter located on the inside of the panels, with the corresponding waterproofing.

In this particular project, the architect in charge, Juan Carlos Soriano, explained his experience: "From the first moment the idea of manufacturing the panels with ULMA arose, they showed great adaptability to achieve the final model; in addition, the studio received the advice it required at all times. Analysing the final result of the finished phases of work, the level of satisfaction is high. I believe that the incorporation of this material to the façades guarantees their durability".

"It is a homogeneous, monolithic material, with no reinforcements, and it is highly water resistant. This material has allowed good a moulding of the pieces, obtaining an aesthetically identical panel to the original on the building" concluded Juan Carlos Soriano.

ULMA offers its customers solutions in shapes and textures, where the key factor is offering the required customization for each project and providing support to the planner at all times.

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