A fire has severely damaged La Querola d’Ordino, the mountain residential complex in Ordino, Andorra, designed by Jean Nouvel, in collaboration with Ribas & Ribas Arquitectes and Jordi Sala. The fire began at around 1:00 a.m. on September 22 and spread rapidly across the development’s seven buildings. No injuries were reported, while approximately 10,000 m² of residential space and 12,000 m² of parking were affected.
The project’s façade was one of its defining technical and architectural features. More than 16,000 m² of natural slate covers the buildings, using more than 35,000 individual slabs, reportedly with no two pieces identical. The slate forms a cavity-ventilated façade, with a dry-joint construction system allowing the cladding to accommodate the complex geometry of the buildings. The stone skin is supported by a metal substructure, creating irregular planes and folds intended to make the seven volumes appear as geological formations emerging from the mountain.
The glazing and openings were similarly customised. The project’s technical specifications identify Schüco aluminium systems, with Series 75 used on the north façade and Series 65 on the south, alongside Hyline aluminium framing designed to minimise visible profiles and maximise the relationship between interiors and the landscape.
Ateliers Jean Nouvel credits Idom–Ferres Arquitects with the façade engineering. The extent of damage to the slate façade, metal substructure, glazing and underlying construction remains under assessment. 
Source: altaveu.com with additional information added by Glass Balkan
