CaixaForum Madrid · Archive photograph · Photographed on 2020-03-04 · Nemo · CC BY-SA 4.0
01 / Building stories
From this place, understand a way of life.
Herzog & de Meuron transformed the former Mediodía power station into a cultural centre, opened in 2008. Brickwork, a lifted base and the adjoining vertical garden define its street frontage.
Walk towards the space beneath it and observe old materials accommodating new uses.
What to look for on site
Find the boundary between brick and shadow, then a joint between old and new materials.
Change should respond to changed conditions. Ge subjects new uses to concrete questions: what should remain, what needs renewal and who participates in sustaining the new life?
Original text and context
The excerpt gives a natural image from the classic. Its application to this building is Xiaoxiong's contemporary proposal, not architectural intent or evidence of historical influence.
Return to the building
01
Clues in the space
The raised volume makes room for passage and pauses at street level.
02
Observe on site
Find the boundary between brick and shadow, then a joint between old and new materials.
Dining map records within three kilometres in a straight line of the reference point. Walls, railways and slopes may lengthen the journey. Check the entrance and whether the business is open.
The map may omit businesses. Records do not confirm trading status, menus or bookings. Records with an address are shown by default; you can include the others.
