Auditorio Edificio Inteligente (321353710)

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 r ...

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 A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

Barefoot Park Barefoot Park ( es, Parque de los Pies Descalzos) is a zen-inspired public park in Medellín, Colombia. The park was funded by EPM and designed by architect Felipe Uribe de Bedout. The park includes a green area with gardens and bamboo, a sand a ...

, and the

Medellín Metropolitan Theatre The José Gutiérrez Gómez Medellín Metropolitan Theatre is the most important and biggest theater in Medellín, Colombia. History Several years after the Junín and Bolívar Theatres became unsuitable, the need for a location that offered be ...

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 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, 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. 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 A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...

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.

References

{{coord missing, Colombia Buildings and structures in Medellín

History

Design

See also

References