PUBLICINEMA BUILDING

This building, which is set in the Paseo de Gracia in central Barcelona, has an ‘S’ shape arrangement floor plan within a large block. It is characterized by many structural features which are somewhat similar to those of the Banco Industrial de Bilbao building in the same city although much more demanding in this case.

In order to create some large theaters at the lower floors, the span lengths of the structure have been increased by sloping the central columns to let them bear onto heavy reinforced concrete shear walls. In the secondary areas at the back of the building, the columns were collected by placing large composite transfer girders which also brace the lateral retaining walls.

Throughout the entire building process a top-down construction method was employed with excavations every two floors; using alternately propped floors and self-supporting floors in order to achieve the lowest cost and shortest lead time.