DESCRIPTION / PROJECT KEY POINTS

Located in the heart of Madrid’s capital, the highly recognizable Castellana 36-38 office building, one of the assets of one of the leading Spanish insurance companies Mutua Madrileña, has undergone a profound change of image proposed by MID to, according to the objectives of its ow¬ner, “make the building reappear in the very exclusive urban profile of Paseo de la Castellana, the Madrilenian Champs-Élysées”. The building is a reference, not for its architecture but for its geographical location, an urban articulation on several levels. First of all a prism, a cornerstone between two communication axes of the city: the major axis of the Castellana and its perpendicular that overhangs it thanks to the very borrowed autopont of Juan Bravo. Then a space, a retrenchment that opens to the Museum of Sculptures looks out between the piers where pieces such as “Mother Ubu” by Juan Miro or “Sirena Varada” by Edouardo Chillida, a 6 ton sculpture suspended from the bridge itself, can be seen. The discreet and defined geometry of the building, marked by its age, offers a great number of possibilities: “Our objective is to generate a true urban installation, a vertical park, a source of renewable energy, a landmark for the environment, much more than just any tertiary building”. The project is taking shape little by little, the rehabilitated interior spaces play on the contrast, reflection and geometric continuity of the decorative elements. Giving the building a newfound elegance.