The Government of the Canary Islands commissioned two maximum security buildings to increase the response capacity against natural hazards and climate change in the archipelago, but also against pandemics and other possible events such as cyber-attacks or terrorism.
After winning the public competition to design the ESE Buildings, one in Tenerife and one in Gran Canaria, the Spanish architect Fernando Menis now unveils the design of two identical but autonomous buildings. The fact that two buildings, located on different sites, have the same design, means that in the long run they are more economically sustainable because they are easier to operate and maintain. Energy efficient, highly adaptable to external factors, and equipped to stand up to any type of exceptional situation, the ESEs will provide services to citizens uninterruptedly throughout the year. The ESEs will stand out for their construction innovations, energy efficiency and unique architecture, their focus on the ecological regeneration of the environment, the safety of operations, the accessibility of security forces and other emergency teams from anywhere, but also for their attention to the well-being of workers subjected to high levels of stress.
The Canary Islands have opted to increase public safety and manage emergencies in their territory with the construction of two Essential Services Buildings (ESE for the Spanish acronym), one on the island of Tenerife and another on the island of Gran Canaria, with a total investment of almost 80 million euros.
The public tender for the design of the two maximum security buildings was won in 2021 by the Spanish architect Fernando Menis leading a multidisciplinary team of experts. The project for the future ESE Buildings of the Canary Islands stands out for its constructive innovations and unique architecture, the focus on the safety of operations, its hyper-connectivity and functional flexibility, as well as the attention to the well-being of its workers and the ecological regeneration of its setting.