Henderson Park and Hines have started construction of their T3 Diagonal Mar, the 3,610 sqm wooden office building located in 22@ North in Barcelona.
T3 Diagonal Mar is the first fully wooden building of its kind to be constructed by Henderson Park and Hines in Europe and is part of Hines’ innovative “T3” family of buildings, a new generation of offices built on three pillars: the warmth and sustainability of timber, superior transit connectivity and cutting-edge technology.
Work on the project began at the end of May and is seeking scheduled completion in 2022.
Designed to meet the highest standard of sustainability and technology, T3 Diagonal Mar is constructed from 100% timber with floorplates of 600 sq m and will include a terraced roof and private gardens, further enhancing its ESG and wellbeing credentials.
”The advantage of using wood during construction is there is no embodied carbon and it is faster to build, creating less pollution, no waste, and less interference with local communities,” said the companies in a joint statement.
Upon completion, T3 Diagonal Mar will have a solid wood Class AA structure, creating a smart, sustainable and healthy place that aspires to obtain the LEED Gold, WELL and WiredScore distinctions.
The T3 Diagonal Mar project is located in the heart of one of Barcelona’s most exciting destinations, the 22@ district, where Henderson Park and Hines already have significant space under development, including a 350-bed purpose built student accommodation asset and 3,610 sq m office building on Cristóbal de Moura street.
Batlle i Roig is the architectural firm in charge of project design and supervision.
“This is a hugely exciting project in one of Europe’s major cities which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our ESG best practices at Hines. The launch of one of Europe’s first wooden office buildings is an encouraging step as we look to reduce both embodied carbon and carbon emissions for every asset we own, manage or develop. Aside from reducing embodied carbon, wooden buildings have further advantages over traditional builds and we are actively seeking to roll out this type of product across Europe in the coming years as we look to protect our planet and build sustainable communities,” said Peter Epping, Global Head of ESG, at Hines.
Gijs Molenaar, Managing Director at Henderson Park, said: “Given the office sector’s rapid evolution over the last year and a half, it is now more important than ever that modern workplaces meet the increasing demands of occupiers for buildings that deliver high quality, technology-driven interior space inside buildings with best-in-class ESG credentials. T3 Diagonal Mar encapsulates this shift, with a unique design that promotes wellbeing, as evidenced by WELL certification, as well as environmental responsibility, through opting for cross-laminated timber as material for the main frame, which targets much better CO2 credentials in the construction of this LEED Gold building. This aligns perfectly with the wider 22@ district, which is quickly becoming one of the most exciting innovation hubs in Europe.”
