Page 121 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6
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South Madrid and High Speed. An example of symbiosis
Caixaforum, an exhibition centre sponsored by the third Spanish bank opened in 2008 in an old powerhouse.
The exciting project by Herzog & De Meuron, an old brick industrial vessel lifted in the air by
powerful pillars, was complemented by the amazing Vertical Garden created by French artist
Patrick Blanc, located in the front square, where an old petrol station once stood.
Besides Caixaforum, an innovation space sponsored by the City Council occupies the old Belgian
Sawmill (serrería belga). Medialab started in 2013 in the old industrial facility renovated with a
project by María Langarita and Víctor Navarro.
Other secondary buildings survived dereliction too and complemented the others: Renfe and
Adif preserved their French‐like office buildings in Av. Ciudad de Barcelona, including the old
MZA office building by Victor Lenoir.
Not far, the Italian‐style campanile of the Pantheon watched its serial neighbours.
Figure 48: Caixaforum and vertical garden.
Source: Wikipedia
Figure 49: Medialab.
Source: Madrid.es
Figure 50: Old MZA offices and Pantheon’s campanile.
Source: Juan Ayrault
International Congress on High-speed Rail: Technologies and Long Term Impacts - Ciudad Real (Spain) - 25th anniversary Madrid-Sevilla corridor 119
