Heatherwick Studio has been selected to design an office building in Madrid for the Spanish department store chain El Corte Ingles. The studio's first project to be built in Spain, Castellana 69 embodies a comprehensive sustainability strategy while also promoting a new vision of the office space. Developed together with local practices CLK architects and BAC Engineering Consultancy Group, Castellana 69 features a green inner courtyard, taking advantage of a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Occupying the last undeveloped plot in the AZCA area, Madrid's financial and business hub, the project showcases a strong environmental commitment. The design uses sustainable materials and harnesses natural resources, amassing significantly less embodied carbon than a typical office building. Moreover, the project will achieve carbon neutrality. In addition, according to Heathwrwick Studio, the façade will incorporate some innovative features, as well.
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. - Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio
In an attempt to "humanise" the workplace, the project works to create a stimulating environment characterised by flexibility and responsiveness to changing working patterns. The design makes use of the mild local climate to create seamless flows between indoor and outdoor spaces, designed for working and socialisation. Construction for the new office building will begin in early 2022 and is set to be completed in 2024.
