RENOLIT ALKORPLAN CONTRIBUTED TO THE GREEN RENOVATION PROJECT OF THE MAREMAGNUM SHOPPING CENTRE OF BARCELONA
Sant Celoni, Barcelona, July 2024 – RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products, leader for high-quality single ply roofing membranes, is proud to announce its participation in the green restyling project of the Maremagnum shopping centre in Barcelona.
The green renovation project, in which the owner Klepierre has invested 18 million euros, has transformed the Maremagnum into an even more welcoming, modern, and sustainable centre for the many visitors who every day, 365 days a year, choose the shopping centre for its many shops, restaurants, cafés and much more.
RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products has taken part in this project, together with the international architecture firm L35 Architects, to help Klepierre in transforming the shopping centre into an example of a space designed to bring value to the people and the environment.
This project represents yet another example of the company’s ability to provide effective solutions to the market’s needs , as expressed by RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products’ sustainability campaign “protect what matters”. It is also a testament to how collaboration between organisations strongly committed to sustainability can create a concrete impact.
With 10 international offices, over 200 professionals and 56 years of history L35 Architects is a firm focused on innovation and sustainability, dedicated to delivering top-tier quality and optimised solutions by seamlessly integrating the highest technical standards into the creative process. The company has developed over 1000 projects in 43 countries, many of which have earned international recognition and awards, such as La Maquinista Shopping Centre in Barcelona, the urban regeneration project of Italik in Paris, and the renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid.
Another (green) great chapter for Maremagnum
Located in the beautiful scenery of Port Vell, Maremagnum welcomes an average of 13 million visitors each year, including tourists and locals who choose the magnificent location of the moll d'Espanya in Barcelona for their shopping or to spend a day among fashion and cuisine by the sea.
A place that symbolises the renewal of the city and that renews itself with it.
In line with this view, Klepierre wanted to renovate the shopping centre to offer a better service without increasing its carbon footprint. Specifically, the owner wanted to cover the second floor of the shopping centre and reshape it to create the space for a new restaurant that would dynamize the Maremagnum and attract new customers. In addition, the second floor needed to be integrated to the rest of the shopping centre.
«To do that, we had to open the skylights, eliminate the second one, the smallest one, and then install this big covering that allows to host this restaurant that on its end, offers view to the port, to the sea and to the city and that are visible from the other floors of the centre as well», says Caterina Memeo, Architect Partner L35 Architects.
In this case, the specific challenge was posed by the structure of the Maremagnum itself: as an open building, in fact, it is not equipped with air conditioning. However, in order to create a comfortable space for customers, it was necessary to prevent the covering of the second floor from raising the temperature inside the building, while adopting sustainable solutions.
«As architects, we have a big responsibility on the design, as well as on the choice of the materials, to ensure that our buildings have a lower carbon footprint than this in the past. In reference to the roof - in this case it is a big covering of 1.500 m2 - it was fundamental that the roof contributed to a passive solution», says Pamela Martin, Architect Partner L35 Architects.
«We looked for a material, provided by RENOLIT, that guarantees us a solar reflectance index that does not accumulate energy in the covering itself, thus avoiding the heat island effect», she adds.
A more sustainable and comfortable Maremagnum with RENOLIT ALKORPLAN cool roof
RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Bright is a high-end product that is white throughout (i.e., both underneath and on the surface) and consequently offers a quality of finish that is highly valued by professionals, as well as providing a pleasant and elegant aesthetic impact.
RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products helped Klepierre to make Maremagnum even more comfortable for visitors, thanks to its Bright roofing membrane, which has been fitted on an area of 1,500 m2.
However, it was not only the efficiency and the sustainability of the Bright membrane that attracted Klepierre's attention, but also RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products’ commitment towards the environment. In line with its strong belief that we should “protect what matters” the company has helped Klepierre to compensate for the impact of the project by planting a tree for any 100 m2 of membrane applied.
«At Klepierre, we decided to use this product because of the limited thermal transmission that allows us to provide greater comfort inside the centre, in line with our commitment to the environment and our CSR policy called Act4Good. At the same time, the fact that a tree is planted for every 100 m2 of installed roof membrane was undoubtedly an incentive to opt for this product, which leads to significant savings in CO2 emissions», said Carmen Lucendo, Technical Manager of Klepierre Iberia.
A possibility that the company offers to all customers who choose its Bright cool roof membrane, as part of its international campaign Cool3, made it possible by its partnership with Treedom.
«We strongly believe in our commitment to sustainability, which is at the heart of our growth strategy and which is put into practice not only in our offer of innovative products that promote ever greater efficiency and sustainability, but also in the relationships we forge with other organisations in which we recognise a shared intent, as in the case of Treedom, and with our customers», says Luca Gottardi, Marketing Director, RENOLIT ALKORPLAN.
RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products has planted 24 trees to compensate for CO2 emissions generated by the project, which will absorb about 8,280 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere.
«Sustainability is at the heart of every project in which we participate. This is why we are proud to have contributed to making this Barcelona landmark an even more enjoyable and sustainable place, and to have done so with top industry partners who have the same commitment to the planet and to the people», he adds.
A project that shows RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products’ contribution to promote sustainability within the industry, providing the most committed designers with solutions that concretely save resources while enhancing performances.
«Architects, as well as other suppliers, face a huge challenge right now, and we are already late. The coming years will be crucial, if we don’t learn how to recycle everything, in a circular loop, it is going to be very complicated», concludes Memeo.