Industry & Building

Futbol Club Barcelona, one of the most popular sport clubs in the world, awarded GPO the Project Management and Construction Management contract for the Urban Development Project for FCBarcelona lands in the district of Les Corts de Barcelona. The work assigned to GPO consists of the comprehensive management of the project and construction work including the design, packaging, tender, construction and contract closure phases. The combination of actions will provide for a large open space around the stadium, eliminate the outer fencing and differences in level currently existing as well as renovate and expand the surrounding streets to reorganize vehicle and pedestrian access.

GPO was awarded with the Detailed Design and Construction Management for this 1.800 m long track. It was designed to reproduce all year wet conditions that a driver is facing during a rainy day. To that matter, it was necessary to use valves that controlled the flow in order to achieve a homogenous layer of water. It is also possible to simulate different water conditions. Before being used in the test track, the water is treated in an osmosis plant to remove all the elements that could settle in the pavement and change the conditions of the track.

GPO developed the renovation of the inside of a former Inteplast warehouse for the manufacturing of plastic pieces. The industrial unit was originally used as a warehouse and the objective was to recover it into a production facility (1.400 m2). The project also included the construction of a new electrical substation and the renovation of the distribution boards; the air conditioning of the new production facilities (3.320 m2); the renovation and extension of the offices with a new vertical communication area (440 m2); and the facade renovation.

Placed in an area with over 120 ha of land, the Catalonia’s Circuit is considered one of the most important automotive circuits worldwide. It is used for international grand prix racing, has a total length of 4,665 m and includes a main straight over 1 km and 11 m wide. It allows a top speed over 325 km/h. There are two bypasses for national championships (2,977 m and 3,049 m), as well as a teaching track of 1,073 m.

GPO was awarded with the detailed design and construction supervision for the Comfort Track at IDIADA Facilities. The track is divided in two loops linked by two connecting branches. The first loop, with a length of 599 meters is known as the “Pavé Loop” which is paved with three different kinds of pavements: worn and new cobblestones and flat concrete slabs. The second loop, named “Poorly Maintained Road”, has a length of 1,311 meters and it replicates the pavement features of a preexisting road.

The National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP), the largest and one of the most significant initiatives in Automotive industry so far, represents a unique joining of hands between the Government of India, a number of State Governments and the Indian Automotive Industry to create a state of the art Testing, Validation and R&D infrastructure in the country. As part of the NATRIP project, six technical centers were developed, with laboratories and test tracks, each adapted to different uses, depending on location and future operations.

Master Plan for the new R&D center for the automotive company CHANA. GPO designed the nearly 320,000 m2 of built up area comprising the complex and the facilities required by CHANA: powertrain, brakes, NVH, durability, fatigue, materials, wind tunnel, benchmarking, and prototypes. The center also includes office buildings and parking areas, showroom and auditorium, test tracks, a dynamic platform, city driving, etc.

The Cheste Circuit hosts events, trainings and activities such as the MotoGP World Championship, the FIA WTCC World Touring Car Championship and the DTM German Touring Car Championship. With a main track of 4,051 m, it has a total capacity of 120,000 spectators (65,000 of them with a seat), with 48 boxes of 88 m2, press rooms and control tower. It is homologated for maximum competition by FIM (motorcycling) and for F1 Testing by FIA.

GPO was awarded by IDIADA with the Preliminary Design, Detailed Design and Construction Supervision for an Acoustic Laboratory (NVH) and 5 boxes to test new prototypes of cars. The acoustic laboratory was divided into three units, each one independent from the rest in order to prevent the transmission of vibrations that could affect the acoustic test. Each unit includes a control room, a semi-anechoic chamber, a basement, a quiet acoustic testing room and a vehicle preparation area. It was necessary to treat each construction element specifically (structure, facilities, gates, fences, partitions, equipment, etc.), in order to ensure sound insulation and to minimize the transmission of vibrations.

The Ascari Race Resort is a private complex dedicated to the motor world that houses one of the longest speed circuits in Spain with 5,425 m in length. Its 26 curves, with incredible slopes, are exact reproductions of the best-known circuit curves around the world. GPO designed the required elements for the circuit to be certified by the Spanish Automotive Federation, and to carry out the Detailed Design later on.

Motorland Aragon is a multifunctional complex made up of three areas dedicated to the technology, the sport and recreation, and the culture of motor racing. The 23,48 Ha for the Karts have two circuits with different functions. The first one was aimed for international karts competitions, 2.074 m long and 12 m wide, with bypasses which allow for the independent operation of two segments. This segment was approved by CIK-FIA to host trials for the Karts World Championship. The second circuit is aimed for leisure and recreation uses, with over 1,200 m in length and 8 m wide.

The Monteblanco Circuit is designed for engine professionals, both for testing and competition. A circuit with homologations FIA T1 (testing formula 1) and FIA grade 2 (races up to GP2). Its main features include: total length of 5600 m, length of the main straight of 960 m, width of the main straight of 15 m, top speed of 315 km / h, 26 track variants and 12 combinations for the use of two tracks simultaneously.

GPO led the consortium made up of IDIADA and the Italian company APICOM to carry out the design of an R&D Center for the largest Indian manufacturer of motorcycles, HERO. With a built area of 30.000 m2, the new technical center has an extension of 95 ha, where there are office buildings, a design center and laboratories, and a great test track facility.

GPO was awarded by IDIADA with the Functional Design of a test track center for the testing of engines at very low temperatures (over ice and treated snow). This center is located at the North of the Republic of China, in an area where temperatures don’t exceed -30 degrees at least three months out of the year.

The main building contains the common service areas and the workshops, which were designed all in the same building to ensure that staff and clients did not have to go outside unless it was extremely necessary. The main challenge of this center was that certain tracks required to have asphalt areas compatible with polished ice areas, this is why there is heated asphalt in some segments of the track.

The center consists of an area with permanent soil tracks for testing ground handling, braking, ramps, off-road, urban driving simulations, tracks over ice on artificial lakes, and over 5.000 sq.m. of attached buildings.

The assignment included the detailed design for the construction of the new center of distribution and automatic warehouse at the headquarters of the Freixenet wineries, in order to generate the spaces that can assume the continuous growth of production. The built-up area is over 7,000 m2 with a volume of approximately 95,000 m3. The urban development surface is 2,400 m2.

GPO developed a warehouse for finished product for SAICA PACK, S.L. in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Barcelona. SAICA paper is a multinational leader in the complete cycle of paper. It is a ground floor warehouse of 20.500 m2 and an annex for complementary services of 700 m2. It has an approximate capacity for 16.000 pallets.

GPO developed the Detailed Design, Construction Supervision and Health and Safety Coordination to build an industrial warehouse for logistic purposes in Can Margarit’s Polígon in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Barcelona. The project consisted of two attached buildings, one of them including an adjoining 3 floor volume for office use. Urban planning, loading bays for lorries, a car park for light vehicles and supplementary buildings are also included. The first building was intended for a logistic use and the second one for production purposes.

GPO carried out the Detailed Design and Construction Supervision services for the renovation of the conditioning system of the Kostal Eléctrica factory in Sentmenat, Barcelona. Kostal is a company from the automotive industry whose activity is the design, development and industrialization of electromechanical and mechatronic elements. The project was aimed at the renovation of the conditioning system of three production plants, with a total surface of 9.000 m3 and considering the overpressure of the top floor.

GPO developed the preliminary and detailed designs, as well as construction supervision for the new Finanzauto base in Barberà del Vallès. It is a new base for workshops, storage, equipment showroom and administrative uses. The implementation is developed on a 20,000 m2 plot distributed over 2 platforms. The buildings, with more than 5,000 m2, form a central office space to which additional areas for storage and general workshops are annexed. For functional reasons, these are interconnected at ground level.

Steyr Motors, a prestigious company specialist for Diesel Engines, awarded GPO with the design of its new engine plant and R&D center, placed in a 20Ha plot in the Wujin National Hi-Tech Industrial Zone, 200 km from Shanghai. The project includes the design of the production and logistics plants, machining, assembly and testing systems. The new engine plant is scheduled to begin production with an annual manufacturing capacity of 100.000 engines, and a planned future expansion up to 400.000 engines per year.

GPO in partnership with APICOM carried out the design for a new R&D center for the motorcycle manufacturer HAOJUE. The new center is in an area over 3 Ha. And it comprises: design center, laboratories for the development of engines, offices and public areas, parking and test tracks.

GPO created an urban circuit which ran through the most emblematic places of the city of Bilbao to host an international race for the World Series (2nd category behind F1). It had a segment of 4,037 meters and a constant width of 10 meters, as well as a paddock total surface area of 10,500 sq m. The temporary facilities housed 26 boxes, areas of race control, medical center, and a VIP area. The complexity of the project was to create a safe circuit for drivers, as well as for spectators and for the inhabitants of the streets used as racetracks.

Circuito del Norte awarded GPO with the Masterplan for the development of an automotive complex next to the city of Vitoria in the Basque Country. In a 720 ha area, the regeneration of the “Monte Araka” is designed based on 3 elements: speed circuits, recreational park, and service area.

BIMSA, public company that manages the works of the Barcelona City Hall, awarded the consortium which GPO is part of to carry out the Construction Management and Project Management of the Design Center of Barcelona, also known as D-HUB, located in the Plaça de les Glòries of the mentioned city. GPO participated as construction manager, controlling quality and constructive details, assisting the property in tendering processes and coordinating all stakeholders involved.

Layetana Inmobiliaria awarded GPO with the Construction Supervision and Health and Safety Coordination Services for the construction of the Can Framis Museum and the renovation of the urban environment and the gardens. The project included the demolition of the old industrial building maintaining the facades, its rehabilitation, and its integration into a new building project which combines the old industrial architecture with new contemporary elements. This facility was awarded with the “Ciutat de Barcelona 2010” Prize.

GPO carried out the Project Management (design, bidding and construction phases), the Construction Supervision and the Health and Safety Coordination for the refurbishment of the Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet Shopping Center in Alcochete, Lisboa.

The gross area covered 82.600 m2 of built area and 305.000 m2 of public spaces. GPO called up a local technical team supervised by a senior Project Manager. The developed tasks included the monitoring and coordination of the design, bidding and construction phases. The refurbishment tasks comprised the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing facades, as well as the adaptation of outdoor common areas, toilets, entrances, etc.

GPO developed the Project Management services for the extension and renovation of the Casa Camper Hotel in Barcelona. The project included the structural consolidation of the building next to the hotel, constructed in 1881, to transform it into 15 hotel suites. Likewise, it comprises the renovation of the existing hotel and the connection of both buildings, modifying the original elevators to double-decks and connecting both terraces, renovating electrical systems and restructuring the polyvalent space into a bar.

GPO was awarded with the Construction Supervision, Construction Management and Project Management contract for the construction of the university complex Tecnocampus. The project comprises a 5-floor building, a 2-floor underground parking, two office towers with 8 and 7 floors, as well as a foyer and an underground auditorium with a surface of 48.000 m2. The urban development of the 16.000 m2 of open spaces was also included.

GPO developed the Construction Management and Project Management for the new Communication Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, which is set in a nineteenth-century industrial site, using two industrial buildings that were refurbished and a new building to be constructed. All the buildings in the campus needed to be connected to the municipal district heating network and the pneumatic waste collection network. The work was done in different phases: refurbishment of old buildings, foundation and structure of the new building, architectural finishes, and facilities.

GPO developed the construction supervision and health and safety coordination services for the construction of a center for young inmates within the Quatre Camins facilities in La Roca del Vallès, Barcelona. The new facility, which is adjacent to a penitentiary center already in operation, has a capacity for 300 cells. This center comprises 14 different buildings, containing residential units, an educational center, workshops, kitchen, nursing facilities, a communications center, a sports area, etc. and it is surrounded by a security area and underground tunnels that connect the 14 buildings.

GPO developed the detailed designs for the security systems of several penitentiary centers for reclusion, health care, sport and cultural activities, learning and production tasks, general services, etc. The architectural design was completed with buildings for managing and administrative tasks, which were built adjacent to the penitentiary centers to avoid providing the management offices with extreme security measures.

The GPO, Prointec, Humbert Costas and Manuel Gómez consortium was awarded with the construction of the new Can Brians 2 penitentiary center, 40 km from Barcelona, with space for 1,500 inmates. Each cell has a maximum capacity for 2 inmates. A further notable factor is the optimization of communal spaces and resources, such as those for education, sport, and culture. Can Brians stands out for the breadth and comfort of its facilities and for its large open areas.

GPO developed the Construction Supervision and Project Management services for the extension and renovation of the Surgical Unit in the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, one of the biggest public health centers of the city. The project comprised the construction of three floors on top of one of the hospital’s existing building to house 19 operating rooms, 56 intensive care units and 12 post-surgery rehabilitation units, as well as the improvement of the internal communications system, and the adaptation of the facilities to the newest technologies.

GPO developed the Construction Supervision of a logistics warehouse in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Barcelona, for the multinational clothing and sports equipment company Decathlon. The main use of this warehouse consists of the reception and classification of goods, administrative tasks, storing and issuing of merchandise.

GPO carried out the Project Management for the renovation of the Festival Park shopping center in the town of Marratxí, near Palma de Mallorca. The center has a constructed surface area of 36,900 m2, and the project included the renovation of different architectural aspects, including the opening of a new pedestrian traffic lane to improve the accessibility and commercial potential of certain premises, the construction of new premises as well as the improvement of facades, kiosks, gardening, furniture, signage and other unique elements.

GPO was awarded with the Project Management services for the new Acute Care Hospital in Denia. GPO was in charge of the project during the whole process, controlling design and construction phases. The design was conditioned by a rigid budget, the changing needs of medical services and the requirement of coordinating the local and regional governments to be able to open the hospital obeying the time and budget specified in the contract. The main challenge for GPO was to maintain construction costs under control, while adapting the design to the new requirements made by the medical services during the construction phase.

GPO developed the Project Management for the Biomedical Research Park of Barcelona. GPO’s mission included design management, tendering and construction management. This project became a unique public initiative with an emblematic design. The building, which included a sophisticated concrete structure, has three underground levels in a plot adjacent to the sea and, therefore with great impact to the water table, and ten levels overground.