project | Reforma del Laboratorio Central
location | Villaverde (Madrid)
date | 2025
The commission involves renovating the second floor of an office building. In its original state, a labyrinthine layout of partitions stood in stark contrast to the radical clarity and structural logic of the building’s envelope. Within this context, the functional programme is relatively straightforward, defined by two spatial types: on the one hand, a large collaborative work hall; on the other, a series of auxiliary rooms and office spaces of a more domestic scale.
The project is grounded in a precise reading of the building’s pre-existing qualities, with the aim of amplifying them. The programme is therefore organised into two clearly differentiated parts. To the south, with a more enclosed character, the existing sequence of service rooms—already suggested by the service and circulation core—is extended to form a band of secondary spaces. To the north, with a more open character, a single large room is defined. The two parts are decisively separated by a substantial green wall that acts as a threshold. It also accommodates storage, building services, and the door swings.
Through its materiality, the principal space draws on certain atmospheric qualities of the Laboratory. The interplay of reflections produced by aluminium, glass, and stainless steel, combined with the soft, even light entering from the north and the presence of a majestic plane tree beside the façade, creates an exemplary working environment.
Photography FZGZ
Promoter ADIF
Builder GRUPO COBRA
project |
date | 2025
location | Villaverde (Madrid)
The commission involves renovating the second floor of an office building. In its original state, a labyrinthine layout of partitions stood in stark contrast to the radical clarity and structural logic of the building’s envelope. Within this context, the functional programme is relatively straightforward, defined by two spatial types: on the one hand, a large collaborative work hall; on the other, a series of auxiliary rooms and office spaces of a more domestic scale.
The project is grounded in a precise reading of the building’s pre-existing qualities, with the aim of amplifying them. The programme is therefore organised into two clearly differentiated parts. To the south, with a more enclosed character, the existing sequence of service rooms—already suggested by the service and circulation core—is extended to form a band of secondary spaces. To the north, with a more open character, a single large room is defined. The two parts are decisively separated by a substantial green wall that acts as a threshold. It also accommodates storage, building services, and the door swings.
Through its materiality, the principal space draws on certain atmospheric qualities of the Laboratory. The interplay of reflections produced by aluminium, glass, and stainless steel, combined with the soft, even light entering from the north and the presence of a majestic plane tree beside the façade, creates an exemplary working environment.
Photography FZGZ
Promoter ADIF
Builder GRUPO COBRA