CaixaForum Madrid

The Catalan La Caixa is the largest insurance company in Spain. Through its foundation Fundación La Caixa, it has focused on supporting cultural activities in the country since 1985. With an annual budget of over half a billion euros (source from 2008), it ranks among the five most generously funded foundations in the world. Two-thirds of the budget is spent on social events, with 80 million euros flowing into the fields of research, environment, and culture. The company's cultural interests are also evidenced by the fact that its logo was once designed by the famous painter Joan Miró. Just as the insurance company's branches spread successfully across Spain, the number of exhibition venues run by Fundación La Caixa also grew. The CaixaForum in Madrid is located in the very cultural heart of the city. Its neighbors include famous museums such as the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza. The grand opening of the new cultural center on February 13, 2008, was also attended by the Spanish royal couple. The transformation of the former 'Mediodía' power plant from 1899 was entrusted to the Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron, specializing in museum buildings. For the Madrid project, Herzog and de Meuron had the opportunity to test their concept from the Hamburg 'Elbphilharmonie', where the historic building serves as a base for the deployment of a modern 'crown'. The outer walls of the former power plant were preserved, but a strip of masonry was demolished around the entire perimeter at ground level. The upper part of the building appears to float above the ground. In reality, it is supported by massive rods and a complex steel structure. The ground-level gap around the perimeter provides access to the cultural center. The created canopy mitigates the effects of the local hot climate. A small water feature and a 24-meter-high vertical garden by Parisian botanist Patrick Blanca also help cool the square. After the reconstruction, over 8000 m² of new spaces were created, distributed across five above-ground and two underground floors. The newly created spaces house exhibition halls, a media library, a restaurant, and offices. The first floor features a lobby, café, and bookstore. Both underground floors consist of an auditorium with 320 seats, service spaces, storage areas, and several parking spaces.

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Magnet   
CaixaForum is designed as an urban magnet, attracting not only art lovers but all the citizens of Madrid and people from outside. The appeal will not only come from the cultural program of CaixaForum but also from the building itself, creating a heavy mass that is separated from the ground, giving the impression of defying the laws of gravity and literally drawing visitors inside.

A New Address for Art
CaixaForum-Madrid stands in a favorable location on the Paseo del Prado boulevard, opposite the botanical garden. This new address for art occupies a site that previously housed inconspicuous buildings, a power plant, and a gasoline station. The raw brick walls of the former power station are a reminiscence of a bygone industrial era in Madrid, while the gasoline station, a purely functional building, was placed here entirely inappropriately. Similar to a vineyard that cannot fully develop its potential due to being planted with poor grapes, this prominent location could not realize its full potential either. The demolition of the gas pump created a small square between Paseo del Prado and the new CaixaForum located in the reconstructed power plant.

A Sensational Transformation
The only material we could reuse from the old power plant was the perimeter brickwork. To create and place the new architectural elements of the CaixaForum project, we began with a surgical operation, separating and removing the base and other parts that were no longer needed. This opened up a completely new and magnificent view of the site, which also helped solve several issues caused by the location. By removing the lower part of the building, a covered square remains under the brick shell, which now appears to float above the street level. This covered space under CaixaForum provides shade for all visitors who want to spend their time or meet someone outside, but also before entering the center itself. With a single urban and sculptural gesture, the problems with the narrow surrounding streets, the main entrance location, and the architectural form of the contemporary art institution were resolved.

Building Below and Above Ground
By separating the building from the ground floor, two worlds were created: one underground and the other above. In the 'underground' space hidden beneath the topographically shaped square are a theater/auditorium, service rooms, and several parking spaces. The multi-story building in the above-ground part houses the entrance lobby, galleries, a restaurant, and offices. A contrast arises between the flexible and loft-like character of the exhibition spaces and the spatial complexity of the upper floors with the restaurant, bar, and offices. The extraordinary sculptural aspect of the CaixaForum silhouette is not merely architectural fantasy but reflects the landscape of the roofs of surrounding buildings.

Herzog & de Meuron