CaixaForum Madrid

Herzog & de Meuron – Madrid Spain, 2003-2008

CaixaForum Madrid is a modern art gallery in the centre of Madrid, Spain. It is sponsored by the La Caixa bank and is located at number 36 Paseo del Prado. It was built to a design by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron from 2001 to 2008

A magnet
CaixaForum is conceived as an urban magnet that attracts not only art lovers but all Madrileños as well as from outside. The attraction will not only be the cultural program of CaixaForum, but also the building itself, to the extent that its heavy mass, detaches itself from the ground in apparent disregard of the laws of gravity and, in a real sense, draws visitors inside.

CaixaForum-Madrid stands on a prime site facing the Paseo del Prado and the Botanical Garden vis à vis. This new address for the arts is located in an area hitherto occupied by inconspicuous urban structures, the Eléctrica Central power station and a petrol station. The listed brick walls of the former power station are reminiscent of the early industrial age in Madrid, while the petrol station, a purely functional structure, was clearly out of place. Like a vineyard that could never develop its full potential because it was planted with the wrong grapes, this prominent location was unable to develop its full potential. The demolition of the petrol station created a small plaza between the Paseo del Prado and the new CaixaForum in the converted power station.

A spectacular transformation
The only material from the old power plant that we could use was the brick shell. To conceive and insert the new architectural components of the CaixaForum, we began with a surgical operation, separating and removing the base and parts of the building that were no longer needed. This opened up a completely new and spectacular perspective that simultaneously solved a series of problems posed by the site. The removal of the base of the building left a covered plaza beneath the brick shell, which now seems to float above street level. This sheltered space beneath the CaixaForum provides shade for visitors who want to spend time or meet outdoors and, at the same time, is the entrance to the Forum itself. Problems such as the narrowness of the surrounding streets, the positioning of the main entrance and the architectural identity of this contemporary art institution are addressed and resolved in a single urban and sculptural gesture.

A construction below ground and a construction above ground
The separation of the structure from the ground level creates two worlds: one below and one above ground. The “underworld” buried beneath the beautifully landscaped plaza provides space for a theater/auditorium, service rooms and several parking spaces. The multi-story building above ground houses the entrance hall and galleries, a restaurant and administrative offices. There is a contrast between the flexible, loft-like character of the exhibition spaces and the spatial complexity of the upper floor with its restaurant/bar and offices. The striking sculptural appearance of the CaixaForum silhouette is not a simple architectural fantasy, but reflects the roofscape of the surrounding buildings.
Herzog & de Meuron, 2008