Madrid

The historic city centre reflects the rich Spanish history as the centre of colonial power. World-famous art collections are housed in monumental heritage buildings, flanked by contemporary interventions and surprising renovation projects. Transformation and repurpose seem to be unique to Spanish architectural practice, with the Archivo Regional, Matadero Madrid and the Serrería Belga as telling examples. The Museum of the Royal Collection also shows great sensitivity in the way it is embedded next to the Royal Palace and the surrounding gardens. Be amazed by the richness and layering of this cosmopolitan city.

Instead of large-scale demolition, Madrid opts for transformation: existing structures are adapted to new programs, preserving historical and material heritage. This strategy is in line with contemporary sustainability principles and the strong layering of the Madridian urban fabric. Where the examples illustrated above are very closely in line with the harmonious image that the charter of Venice puts first, there are also pronounced projects.

A featured example is the Banco de Espana, which retains its original function as the country’s national central bank and still manages the gold reserves. The 19th century building has undergone many construction phases, in addition to an extension in Art Deco style, it was expanded in 2006 by Rafael Moneo and adapted to contemporary standards with recent punctual interventions by Paredes Pedrosa.

Externalizations of religious passion cannot be circumvented in one of the most pronounced Catholic states in Europe. Architect Miguel Fisac, once a member of Opus Dei, realised a number of very striking churches in the 20th century. He combined innovative structural systems into expressive spiritual spaces where daylight and materiality are central. Contemporary Fernando Higueras, on the other hand, realised rough and more organic designs such as the residential project the Oasis de Higueras in the city centre.

After the secular and religious atmospheres, Madrid also offers a wealth of art collections. The Paseo del Prado axis was labelled by UNESCO as the “Landscape of Light”, named after the Enlightenment in the arts and science. The Prado, with an extension of Rafael Moneo, has the largest collection of Spanish painting from the Golden Age; Velazques, Goya, El Greco, the Zurburan but also Bosch and Rubens can be seen there. This cultural highlight is enhanced by the impressive Gallery of the Royal Collection that opened in 2023 to the design of Tunon y Albornoz.

As usual, we invite local architects to provide clarification on their designs. In addition to the large public projects, we also visit some more intimate realisations, such as the renovation of an apartment in the city centre by bardo arquitectura.

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