zza

We think of cities as always full, frenetic and crowded, but there are still voids abandoned by the voracity of new construction; forgotten bags of air in a system that prefers the new to making the existing sustainable. One such place is in the center of Madrid, in the courtyard of a historic building dating from 1859. Originally a beautiful washing place, it ended up as the abandoned ruin of a car workshop: degraded, damp and without natural light. 3D3N project gives a second chance to this urban ruin, giving value to its existing heritage with a new ecological awareness that considers essential to reduce the ecological footprint of architecture. 3D3N is a workspace that revolves around the introduction of the natural into the world of labor. On one hand, all the elements are maintained by changing their use: the old ramp evolves into a social amphitheater or the garage entrance becomes a filter between urban noise and the interior garden. On the other hand, the intervention pierces the existing floor to open two large courtyards and introduce natural light into the basement. Around these hybrid devices (patio-staircase-bench-garden), the work is organized. The combination of both strategies creates an architecture of high energy efficiency: cross ventilation, natural lighting, efficient insulation and sound control. From a new ecological awareness, 3D3N proposes to work in the crowded Spain from the creative reinterpretation of the historical heritage and the creation of oases outside the urban frenzy that bring the city closer to sustainability and nature.

competition date: 11.2020 | address: avda. ciudad de barcelona. madrid | architects: bernardo angelini (project+construction), david casino (project+construction), rodrigo delso (project) | client – developer: catorce | gross area: 600 m2  | quantity surveyor: alberto lópez | collaborators: clara buenadicha | structure consultant: jesús crespo | facilities consultants: juan alacid; inercia | landscape: carmen varela | photography: roland halbe, eduardo nave