Heatherwick Studio has been selected by Europe’s leading department store to design a pioneering new office building in Madrid. Located close to El Corte Inglés’ flagship store in Paseo de la Castellana, the building area is nearly 15,000 sqm above ground. It will be the first Heatherwick Studio project to be built in Spain. The proposal has been developed in collaboration with the local offices of CLK architects and BAC Engineering Consultancy Group.
Demonstrating a solid commitment to the environment and the belief that great design makes more liveable cities, Castellana 69 promotes both social and environmental sustainability. This is embodied in the innovative façade and the central ‘green heart’, provided by a courtyard inside the building, bursting with trees and plants to bring nature into the centre of the workplace and the city. This approach is amplified by the choice of healthy and sustainable materials, advanced technology and by harnessing natural resources. Solar panels on the building will produce more energy than the building consumes which will ultimately make it net zero-carbon. Furthermore, the amount of embodied carbon used in construction will be a fraction of a typically constructed office building.
Another goal is to humanise the workplace by creating an inspiring and stimulating environment and providing organisational flexibility that responds to society’s demands for new working patterns. The design takes full advantage of the local climate with a seamless flow from indoor to outdoor working and social spaces.
Construction for this speculative office building will start in early 2022 and is due to complete in 2024. The site is the last plot of land in the AZCA area, Madrid’s financial and business hub.
Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio, said:
“It’s thrilling for my studio to be building our first project in Spain. Castellana 69 is an exciting opportunity to move away from the formality and staleness of so much modern office building design to develop a more humanised workspace that simultaneously prioritises social and environmental sustainability. We’re proud to have El Corte Inglés as our client, and we share their commitment to making greener and more human-centred cities for everyone.”
Visualisation by Lotoarchilab