Madrid, Spain
Mixed Use; Office, Residential, Retail
1.5 million sq. ft. |
Puerta de Europa |
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Puerta de Europa is a major mixed-use development that includes two office
buildings
and two residential buildings with ground-floor retail space. The project is
adjacent to the
Paseo de la Castellana, one of Madrid's most important boulevards.
The location of the site over a subway interchange made it structurally
impossible for
office buildings to stand near the street. In order for the two towers to read
as a pair and
to insure their visibility from up and down the Paseo, they have been designed
to lean
toward each other over their plazas. This bold move creates a gateway and a
portal,
which makes the pair a landmark in this historical city.
The exterior skin of each tower is a composition of a major structural grid of
rectilinear
and diagonal members clad in stainless steel. A fine red line contrasts with the
steel, and
these elements stand forward from the taut custom gray-glass curtain wall.
The residential complex adjacent to the office towers is clad in variations of a
curtain
wall with a structural grid of rose Spanish granite. The large mass of apartment
blocks is
broken down by two courtyards, which create outdoor spaces that are protected
amenities
for the residents and offer retail shops for convenience.
Jeff Sydness was the design partner of John Burgee Architects for the project.
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