New heights in energy saving

Highest possible energy savings for the world’s tallest passive house building

The 28-storey Bolueta Tower is the tallest ‘passivhaus’ building in the world at 88 metres, containing apartments and homes for social housing. It received the prestigious Passivhaus Certified award in 2018 and is the first Vivienda de Protección Oficial (VPO) building in Spain for people on low incomes or with particular social needs.

During its design phase, the concept evolved to create a building to the Passive House standard, which meant excellence in terms of energy efficiency was required.

The architect, German Velázquez, chose Ventirock Duo to optimise the insulation of the building and create a structure with no thermal bridges. This minimised energy consumption and ensured that residents would enjoy lower energy bills for decades to come. In fact, with an A1 energy rating the reduction in heating demand will be around 80%.

The use of stone wool insulation in Ventirock Duo has many additional advantages. Residents will benefit from excellent winter and summer living comfort since the walls ‘breathe’ and contribute to high quality indoor air, with no dust or pollen. The insulation also reduces noise thanks to its acoustic performance, and is weather-resistant and robust.

This project is a fine example of combining energy efficiency and sustainability for the good of society, and it will be a testament to its designers for years to come. For now, it sets the standard as the tallest and most highly certified passivhaus building in the world.

Bilbao, Spain

Project location

Bolueta Tower
Bilbao
Spain

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“We chose Ventirock Duo because it’s a dual density, rigid slab designed for ventilated façades. At the same time it provided the highest possible insulation performance for our passivhaus design. It was easy to install and most importantly it delivers high energy efficiency that will benefit residents, and continue to reduce their energy bills.”

German Velázquez

Architect at Varquitectos

Project Data

Year 2015-2018
Building Type Pssive Flats/Houses 
Application Ventilated Facade
Product type Ventirock Duo, Rocksate