Tradewinds residential

The Tradewinds development at Marina Bay, on Gibraltar’s west coast, south of the airport runway, has 81 apartments in three linked towers of up to 16 storeys. Underground car parking and retail outlets occupy the lower levels. The structural design uses an in situ concrete frame with flat unbonded post-tensioned floors — thought to be a first for Gibraltar — allowing the inclusion of an additional storey within the building height restrictions. Our engineers also undertook wind and environmental modelling.

The towers are built around a swimming pool set back from the water’s edge, and have sloping roofs that increase in height from eight to 16 storeys, north to south. The buildings’ concrete frames are clad in a mixture of precast panels and curtain walling, which is illuminated at night. Each tower is topped by two penthouse apartments, surrounded by curtain walls. Every apartment has a glazed balcony with timber deck.

Wind modelling was carried out in conjunction with the BRE to ascertain wind loads and related environmental factors, enabling the buildings’ vertical cores to be designed more efficiently. The work also assisted the architect in determining the best positions for entrances and balconies.

We used environmental modelling to calculate the heating and cooling load requirements and to inform the design of the air-conditioning system, and we advised on the use of balconies to reduce solar gains during the day.