What do we do
ARQUIMA is a leading company in the sector of industrialised construction of housing, buildings, façades and building envelopes, with the following criteria: passive construction, health, sustainability and maximum energy efficiency. The headquarters and factory are located in Barcelona, although we have offices across the country and we are continuing to expand, including at international level.
ARQUIMA uses an industrialised wooden structure system, which is currently the most sustainable construction material on the market, to manufacture structures, façades or complete envelopes. The lack of limits on the designers helps to achieve projects which are personalised, exclusive and state of the art and they are based on a structural system of reinforced load-bearing walls which permits wide open spans, long cantilever beams and the construction of multiple floors.
This in-house system provides a product with enormous advantages:
Fixed budget: our industrialized system prevents cost overruns, avoiding unpleasant surprises and guaranteeing the final price agreed in the contract.
Turnkey solution: we can take charge of everything from the design to the execution of the entire building works so that the client does not have to worry about anything throughout the whole process.
Product guarantee: our guarantee includes coverage of the structure and facilities, as well as the finishings, giving our customers greater peace of mind.
Speed of execution: our industrialised solution permits the construction of any type of building in record time which no other system can currently offer.
Passive construction and NZEB
According to the European directive 2010/31/EU, from the year 2018 for public buildings and 2020 for the rest of newly constructed buildings, these must be of near zero energy consumption (NZEB-Nearly Zero Energy Buildings). ARQUIMA is at the forefront of complying with this legislation with its construction process which makes it possible to construct buildings with energy rating A, the current maximum, and also with international certifications from such organisations as Passivhaus Institut, LEED, BREEAM, Minergie or VERDE-GBCe among others.
This type of construction is based on passively designed sustainable architecture, which means paying particular attention to the climatic and geographic conditions of each site to ensure optimum orientation, and capture of and protection from solar radiation. It also entails a high level of insulation without thermal bridges and with effective sealing from the exterior air throughout the whole building, with highly energy efficient carpentry which guarantees minimal demand for energy. This is later complemented with the best choice of the most efficient active systems for producing natural energy.
Healthy and sustainable construction
ARQUIMA offers an environmentally friendly option that reduces excess emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere using materials with a minimal carbon footprint such as wood sourced from sustainably managed forests and with PEFC or FSC certification, as well as opting for other natural recyclable or recycled materials for insulation and cladding. Choosing ARQUIMA’s sustainable architecture, results in reduced water consumption through the reuse of rain water and grey water, and the reduction to a minimum of waste products in the construction of buildings.
People’s health is also an important part of our constructions, and it is for this reason that prior to beginning a project, we propose carrying out a geobiological study which permits the reduction of the effects of terrestrial or artificial radiation, which are harmful for the nervous and immune systems of human beings. Likewise we recommend biocompatible electrical installations to avoid electromagnetic fields, as well as the use of materials free from VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are also harmful to our health.
Industrialised and technological construction
ARQUIMA’s technical team, specialised in sustainable architecture, energy efficiency and bioconstruction, supervise the whole process both in the project and construction phase in order to guarantee the quality of the finished product, via cutting-edge BIM design programmes (Building Information Modelling). This specialised software allows us to create the manufacturing plans and the production lists from a 3D model, with minimum tolerances of millimetres, ensuring optimum assemblage on site.
Our industrialised system allows for the building envelope and the structure to arrive on-site completely finished, thereby dramatically reducing lead times and ensuring a high quality finish. With the ARQUIMA system a detached house of 200 m2 can be assembled in 3 days, or a 1,000 m2 building can be finished in 15 days.
The combined use of BIM programmes and the industrialised construction system ensures that we can guarantee a high quality product in a short period of time and with very controlled costs.
