PRACTICA + Daroca Arquitectos, second place in the design for the Insurance Compensation Consortium in Madrid

The partnership of the firms PRACTICA and Daroca Arquitectos secured second place in the international competition to design the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros building on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, a new 7,000-square-meter corporate complex with protected historic elements.

"The proposal focuses on preserving and restoring its protected elements, as well as designing new interior spaces that support sustainable operations from both programmatic and environmental perspectives," the authors state.

+ 2

Official Description: The proposal for the intervention on the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros building, located at Paseo de la Castellana 14, on the corner of Calle Ayala 1 in Madrid, focuses on preserving and restoring its protected elements, as well as designing new interior spaces that support sustainable operations from both programmatic and environmental perspectives.

The intervention strictly requires preserving the protected facades, as well as the main staircase and the entrance portal on Paseo de la Castellana. The rest of the structure is slated for complete demolition and excavation for four levels below grade. Furthermore, the new proposal increases the buildable area by approximately 20% over the property's current footprint.

The central concept stems from the placement of this main staircase, which becomes the starting point of the void, or central courtyard. This longitudinally stepped void ensures optimal lighting and ventilation for all future workspaces.

The large polyhedral copper roof, treated as a third facade, extends the traditional planes of the vertical facades through a play of sloped sheet metal and metal mesh. This system regulates natural light while creating terraces and outdoor spaces that capitalize on the building's privileged location.

• Architects

  Daroca Arquitectos, PRACTICA

• Location

  Paseo de la Castellana, 14, 28046 Madrid, España

• Architects in Charge

  Jose Luis Daroca Bruño, Jaime Daroca, José Mayoral, José Ramón Sierra

• PRACTICA Team

  Sebastian Peñas, Alonso Rosa

• 3D Renderings

  Kelvin Ho

• Technical Architect

  Roberto Alés

• Engineering

  BAC EGC

• Award

  Segundo Lugar

• Project Year

  2018

• Photographs

  Courtesy of PRÁCTICA + Daroca Arquitectos

• Area

  10853.0 m2