deconarch

One of the architectural discoveries I made when strolling around Madrid:

La CaixaForum, Madrid

La Caixa is one of Spains largest financial entity. Their foundation – the largest charitable foundation in Spain and one of the largest in the world – invests in public welfare causes.

The CaixaForum Madrid houses a permanent collection as well as several temporary exhibitions (as far as I could understand always free).

The new building was (re)constructed by no one less than Herzog & de Meuron and opened only in 2008 (inauguration 13th Feb. 2008 – seems as if I’ve just been on time!)

The new museum, situated in direct proximity of the big museums (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen-Bornemisza), is actually a build-up structure on a historic electric power station. The old building was completely cored, the brickwork facade integrated into the new edifice.

It consists of four floors, a plaza and two basement floors. The upper part of the building rests on the old walls in a “tripod” way , while the remaining part “float” above the plaza. A sculptural staircase leads up into the entrance hall of the museum. Both plaza and ceiling of the underside of the “floating” part of the building are shaped with triangular planes to form a rhythmic relief.

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Most striking is the roof/upper part of the museum – shaped like enormous pinnacles or maybe the typical early-industrial factory buildings on the front, craggy from the back side, reflects the surrounding roofscape. The perforated rusty metal plates form a harsh contrast to the old brickstone facade below. They harmonise amazingly well.

More information here (German), here (Engl. – more photos, plan views, etc.) and a video of the vernissage here.

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By the way – who spotted it? In front of the building, on the righthand side is a “mur végétal” by Patrick Blanc!

When we ‘ve been in Paris – already 3 months ago, in May! Time really flies! – I discovered two Vertical Gardens by Patrick Blanc:

The rather famous one next to the new Musée du quai Branly, at the museum’s administrative building, 2004, and  (photographs all taken by myself)

a smaller, though maybe even more impressive one at La Défense, Galeries Lafayette Shopping Centre, facing the Grande Arche; made in 2008.

Patrick Blanc is well-known all around the world. His Vertical Walls – made with a copyrighted method of growing plants without soil – can be found in cities like Madrid, Osaka, Dehli, New York, Bangkok,…

His vision of a “controlled Jungle” makes architecture and cities transforms simple and often dull walls – both interior and extrior ones – into fascinating “wall paintings” – when standing right in front of this walls people often start admiring them like masterpieces in a museum.

I’ll try and write a little more soon.

More information on Blanc’s Website, as well as reports about Blanc here (German) and here (English).