![Auditorio Edificio Inteligente (321353710)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Auditorio_Edificio_Inteligente_%28321353710%29.jpg)
EPM Intelligent Building ( es, Edificio Intelligente EPM), also known simply as the EPM Building, is the headquarters for the
public utilities
A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and ...
company
Empresas Públicas de Medellín
Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) was established on 18 November 1955 as a residential public utilities company which, initially, only served the inhabitants of Medellin, Colombia its hometown.
EPM is the head of a group that consists of twe ...
(EPM) in
Medellín, Colombia. The building is located at the intersection of the ''Avenida del Rio'' and Carrera 58, in a neighborhood known as La Alpujarra II. The building is surrounding by greenspace, a series of outdoor fountains, and a stand-alone cube near the building that houses an auditorium. Its modern architecture and construction has made it a symbol of contemporary Medellín.
Plaza Mayor,
Barefoot Park, and the
Medellín Metropolitan Theatre are also nearby.
The building is modeled after the
Lloyd's building
The Lloyd's building (sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street, in London's main financial district, the City of ...
, which houses the
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...
insurance market in the United Kingdom.
The EPM Building is one of the locations decorated with lights each year for the
Christmas season in Medellín.
History
Empresas Públicas de Medellín was founded in 1955. Since 1957, the main headquarters was located in the Miguel de Aguinaga Building. The construction of a new
smart building
Building automation (BAS), also known as building management system (BMS) or building energy management system (BEMS), is the automatic centralized control of a building's HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), electrical, lighting, ...
was completed in 1993. Since the soil survey showed the existence of a barrage of unconsolidated sandy gravel brought by the
Medellín River
The Medellín River ( es, Río Medellín), called Porce River ( es, Río Porce) during most of its course, is a river that flows through the Colombian city of Medellín and its metropolitan area. For many years an organization called Mi Río (My ...
, a plate was covered over the entire area of the building to prevent settlement problems of structural elements and at the same time to respond to the most stringent seismic standards.
Between 1996 and 1997, the headquarters was transferred to the new Intelligent Building.
Design
The building is made from concrete, steel, glass and aluminum and it incorporates water as a symbol of life and its mission as a public utilities company.
Its design and construction were all the work of
Colombian people
Colombians ( es, Colombianos) are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the sourc ...
. EPM employed 6,000 workers for the building's construction.
There are six towers attached to the main building.
The building also has 16 transparent elevators, operating simultaneously, which can mobilize 320 people on each trip at a speed of 150 meters per minute. The top floor can therefore be reached in 60 seconds.
The 11th floor has a
rooftop garden with
vertical garden walls. These gardens were composed with at least 60% plant species native to Colombia.
Separated from the main building on its northwest side is a 27-meter high cube that houses the auditorium. The auditorium can seat 400 people and has an aluminum finish on the outside.
See also
*
Interactive Museum EPM
References
{{coord missing, Colombia
Buildings and structures in Medellín