An engineering and architectural project
Recovering a historic building is always an enjoyable challenge. Recovering seven at the same time, as is the case with Centro Canalejas Madrid, is a dream come true.
This ambitious urban regeneration project combines exterior refurbishment with a new interior layout. The project is conceived as a whole, despite its fragmented origin and the various uses that are integrated at the site.
This is an architectural plan with enormous complexity in terms of research, planning and execution.
Three factors that added to the challenge were the location, in the centre of a large city, the quick turnaround and the aesthetic reconditioning required to minimise impact on the surrounding area. In addition, the site needed to unify different uses in a single complex. At the same time, the space had to conserve seven façades and the first gallery of two of the buildings. This was due to protection regulations applicable to BIC buildings (Bien de Interés Cultural).
The scope of this intricate project meant that it could only be undertaken with a multidisciplinary approach. The large team had to be highly experienced and technically astute. Estudio Lamela has overseen architectural elements and OHLA executed the construction.
The block encompasses the following distinct uses: hotel, housing, shopping arcade and car park. The buildings have nine storeys above ground level and five below.
Hotel
Housing
Commercial gallery
Car park
The surroundings of Centro Canalejas Madrid
The developer took on the cost and execution of the work to improve the pavements, underground infrastructure and Seville metro station.
The developer, Centro Canalejas Madrid, covered the cost and carried out the improvement of the entire urban environment of the streets of Alcalá and Sevilla. This included pavements, streetlamps, street accessories and landscaping. The materials used, especially granite and wood, are in line with 19th century architecture. Everything is designed so the buildings fit in with their surroundings. In terms of size, it is a major work. The total of 7,900 m² were paved with 8 cm high Spanish granite slabs. Sixty-four historic lampposts were created in homage to an original design which you can see in the Buen Retiro park.
The underground infrastructure for the Canalejas 360 hub totalled 5,300 m² . Currently managed by the City Council, the area serves as a charging bay for 50 electric vehicles.
Centro Canalejas Madrid also financed the construction of the new Seville metro station and the improvement of the line 2 tunnel to Sol station. This work improved user accessibility by installing lifts and modernising the architecture and facilities.
The cost of this work, completed in early 2020, totalled 43.5 million euros.
An avant-garde project recovering important history
Nearly 8,000 m2 of façade have been restored to preserve the historic architecture of the city. Also, more than 16,000 historical pieces have been catalogued. Most of them have been rescued and carefully restored using some artisan techniques which are almost extinct and have been especially resurrected for the project.
The aim was to restore the uniqueness and original characteristics to each one of the ornamental elements. Great effort had to be made in terms of analysis and execution so that the stained-glass windows, marble, grilles, lamps, slate roofs and other pieces had the protection relevant to their historical, artistic and architectural value.
The meticulous work of cataloguing, dismantling and recovering unique elements has been the responsibility of small local workshops that use artisan techniques in the restoration process. They have preserved the aesthetic and historical value of each object, with minimal intervention. They used original techniques. This contributed to maintaining the identity of each piece despite the passage of time.
Behind the incredible façades, inside the buildings there were (and still are) real gems. These include the skylight, the old counters of the Banco Español de Crédito, the pillar cladding and the capitals seen in the hotel lobby. There are other noteworthy elements such as the fireplace and all the ceiling mouldings in the Royal Suite lounge. In addition, there is a marvellous pine floor. This is a true work of marquetry. Also in the red lounge, there is notable wooden panelling. Plus, in one of the FSHM restaurants, Isa, there are reconditioned doors, fireplaces, ironwork and other smaller elements. Taken collectively this gives the whole building personality.
Façades
The restoration here is the best example of the effort to recover the splendour of the area.
The façades of the most notable buildings stand out: Plaza de Canalejas 1 (1902), in eclectic style and the work of the architect Eduardo Adaro; La Equitativa building in Alcalá 14 (1887), a sample of 19th century eclectic monumental architecture, designed by José Grases Riera, and Alcalá 10 (1943), carried out by the architect Roberto Ochoa, of art deco inspiration, in which the frieze in relief on the lintel of the great entrance areas stands out, as well as other very elaborate locksmithing elements.
Stained glass
On the ceiling of the first floor of the Alcalá 10 building there are two art deco stained-glass windows.
They are composed of glass panels of different shapes and sizes, forming a geometric composition of colourless, yellow, or green printed designs, with different finishes.
The craftsmen who restored them found broken pieces, deformed lead, missing putty and some unfortunate previous repairs that spoiled the features. For this reason, corrections were made using original techniques and materials dating back to the 1940s.
Another notable example is the stained-glass window located in Alcalá 14. The famous Maumejan firm undertook the work. Decoration methods such as drawing and hand-painting have been used with original pigments fixed to the glass by firing in a kiln. This centuries-old technique has been used to reintegrate some of the glass that had been lost in previous operations. The layout of the stained glass has now finally been recovered.
Grids
A piece of great historical value located at the entrance to Alcalá 10:
a wrought-iron grille with bronze decorations, which have been degraded by successive layers of paint and varnish. In the restoration work, the original colour and reflections were restored by cleaning and removing layers and eliminating oxides.
Hotel Lobby
The Four Seasons Hotel Madrid lobby is located in what used to be the old courtyard of the Alcalá 14 building, designed by Enrique Cebrián.
Stand out features include the following: the old glass in the interior courtyard, the marble columns and the cast bronze Corinthian capitals decorated with acanthus leaves (placed on pillars during the 1944 refurbishment), the mahogany-coloured stained woodwork and various types of ironwork.
An exciting process
The company OHLA carried out construction work on the refurbishment of Centro Canalejas Madrid between 2013 and 2020.
Nearly 5,000 temporary and permanent jobs have been created.
At peak times, up to 1,100 workers have been brought together to build a surface area of 80,000 m2. 30,000 m2 of this space is below ground level.
The importance of the project meant a broad focus in scale and execution. There needed to be a holistic vision to coordinate the different elements of the job in an urban environment.
This complex has led to a spatial and functional redefinition of the block. There were factors in terms of the simultaneous construction below and above ground level and the safeguarding of protected elements linked to the status of the subsoil.
Adding three basement floors below the existing two in a consolidated environment of existing buildings has added an almost epic difficulty to the work.
The complexity of the project has made it necessary to incorporate the most innovative construction techniques, materials, and installations. One example is the implementation of an automated topographical control system for the permanent monitoring of the stability of the façades.
However, the most remarkable feature is the use of a transition slab that allowed the work below and above ground level to be carried out simultaneously.
The interior of the building is newly constructed. The floor plan was generated with a radial geometry that leaves a large interior courtyard in the hotel with a vertical garden and a new façade with grilles on all floors for ventilation and natural lighting. These were inspired by other original pieces in the complex.
There are a range of rooms around the courtyard which offer a different look and feel to the accommodation located in the façade.
Each use of the building (hotel, shopping, housing, and car park) has independent lifts. There are also lifts for communal use. These connect the loading and unloading area with the service areas and facilities on each floor.
