Project Details
The Arima Hotel is the first 4-star hotel to receive the certification with the international Passivhaus seal in Spain and one of the first in the world.
The first large-sized hotel in Spain certified under the Passivhaus standard will mean an annual emissions savings of 150,000 kg of CO2, which is equivalent to the emissions produced by a vehicle after 1,000,000 km, and an estimated savings of more than 100,000 €/year in energy.


To obtain this certification, the main facades have been resolved with a lightweight wooden frame system over the main concrete structure, with 16 cm of rock wool insulation. Wood carpentry of chestnut has been combined with triple glazing and argon gas in the chambers, as well as curtain walls with double glass and certified profiles. More than 80 units of double flow ventilation with high efficiency heat recovery and very different volumes depending on the different areas of the hotel have been installed.
Project Information and Features
- Project Type: Residential Building and Hotel
- Building Type: New construction
- Developer: Miguel Imaz
- Location: San Sebastián
- Energy Classification: A (Passivhaus Certified Building)
- System Type: Individualized
- Technology: VMc DF Siber high efficiency system (up to 95%)
- Heating Demand: 15 kWh/m2 per year
- Cooling Demand: 15 kWh/m2 per year


Project Information and Features
The exemplary character of the building adds a triple additional value to the property: environmental, social, and economic value. Environmental due to the reduction of greenhouse gases; social for setting a very high comfort standard, and economic for achieving additional value from the building itself.
Initially, the building was not designed under the Passivhaus standard. The adaptation process and the subsequent certification of this complex building under the Passivhaus standard has not conditioned its careful design or the initially projected aesthetics, highlighting the versatility of the standard to adapt to all types of projects.