Located in the neighborhood of the grand boulevards of the 19th century in Madrid's glamorous Salamanca district, the housing project at 141 Alcalá Street has been designed by the studio De Lapuerta + Campo Arquitectos.

The residential building is based on a careful study of the context, where the existing is respected and framed with the firm intention of improving the conditions of habitability in a complex plot, overlooking two contrasting streets of the Salamanca neighborhood.
The 4150 sqm. building designed by De Lapuerta + Campo Arquitectos stands out for its use of elevated gardens, which creates an open and luminous atmosphere from the inside.

On the Alcalá street side, the facade is orderly, in keeping with Madrid's solid-span tradition and with large, high-performance sliding and elevating windows. Meanwhile, on the Francisca Moreno façade, the building is set back in a courtyard open to the street with glazed panels, which maximizes the luminosity in the apartments and enhances the effects of nuances, trompe l'oeil, and depth.
 

Description of project by De Lapuerta + Campo Arquitectos

A new building in the Barrio de Salamanca must study the existing ones, respect them, frame them. But, above all, improve them.  

It was about designing a building giving two very different streets, on one side, Alcalá street and on the other hand Francisca Moreno Street. All homes had to be the best.

On Alcala Street the facade is repetitive, compliant with the window rhythm tradition of Madrid. The windows are large, high-rise sliding doors that are quite sophisticated in terms of their isolation and ease of opening, which hide the frame from the outside, giving the sensation of a glass that slides over the stone facade.

Inside, they have a balcony, re-edition of the Madrid balcony with locks and wooden handrails. In facade of Francisca Moreno the building is set back in a courtyard open to the street of glazed cloths, a sculpted “geode” that maximizes the luminosity in the houses and enhances the effects of nuances, and depth. This makes a contrast between the experience of Alcala Street and Francisca Moreno Street. All homes, all rooms, are exterior ... the street is now sunnier, brighter.

The colors and reflections of the glasses are not capricious. Those located on the south façade are set back and protected from direct summer sun, while those located north look outwards, looking for light.

Curved glass follows the tradition of bow windows that managed to maximize space and natural light inside and on the upper facades exposed to the west, a double skin of glass slats with solar control is raised, allowing views of the roofs from Madrid.

The facade is then a very careful garden, with vegetation chosen to provide color throughout the year, a fountain, residential areas, adult trees planted as “specimens” of deciduous that protect from the sun in summer, nuances views, and allow the sun in winter.

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Architects
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Project team
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Lead Architects.- José María de Lapuerta Montoya / Paloma Campo Ruano. Team.- Blanca Muñoz de la Espada, Lucía Ortiz de Galisteo, Adrián Úbeda Beltrán.
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Collaborators
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Installations and structures.- Valladares Ingeniería. Facade engineering.- Arup Fachadas. Consultants.- Topografía, geología y servicios S.L., Terraconsult Geotecnia S.L. Façade designer.- Proinller. Installations.- Daikin.
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Builder
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Developer
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Area
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4150 sqm.
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Dates
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Project.- 2018. Works.- 2019 - 2021.
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Manufacturers
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Danosa MAD4 and Chova VISCOLAM 65.- Plasterboard partitions (Pladur and Placo) with acoustic membranes. Murfor geohidrol.- Reinforced rough brick. Shaftwall system.- Divisions sectorization fire patinillos. Ursa Terra Murplus, Ursa Terra Plus32, and Ventirock duo of Rockwool.- Thermal insulation mineral wool facade. Alpharock-e-225, ARENA APTA, Ursa terra.- Ceiling insulation. SOPREMA system. Waterproofing Morterplas 4'8 Kg, Morterplas Garden) and thermal insulation (XPS SL extruded polystyrene).- Roofs. Knauf Vermiplaster.- Fire protection of metal structure Vermeculite. Extreme Soft variety.- Decking. Fass.- Facade sate. TVITEC.- Facade glazing, except for dichroic glass. Bischoff BGT.- Dichroic glass. Proinller fachadista and Reynaers gamista.- Exterior carpentry. Jimtem.- PVC underground plumbing. Roth.- Algibe plumbing. Tubex.- Pipe insulation. Adequa.- Acoustic downpipes sanitation. Blansol Rayper system.- PEX piping. Schluter.- Linear drains inside showers. Ulma.- Linear slotted drainage grating hidden gutter terraces. Geberit.- Embedded cisterns. Siber.- Ventilation of houses. Daikin, Climaver Plus.- Aerotermia. Uponor.- Underfloor heating. Leds-C4, Daisalux.- LED lighting. Orbis.- Vehicle charger.
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Location
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St/ Alcalá, 141, 28009, Madrid, Spain
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Photography
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DL+A is an architectural office directed by José María de Lapuerta and Paloma Campo with a 25-years long career in professional practice of architecture, engineering and interior design also related to research and teaching. Our regular team gets completed by usual collaborations with engineering firms such as OVE ARUP, Úrculo Engineering, Valladares Engineering, Gogaite, Calconsa, etc.

Our works have been recognised with the most outstanding awards and, most of them, have been published in prestigious professional magazines: Two works selected in different Spanish Architecture Biennials, Madrid City Council Awards, Finalists in FAD Awards, Two prizes in EUROPAN competition, three works awarded by Offitial order of Architects of Madrid. It should be highlighted as well the obtaining of LEED Gold Certification for sustainable building for the first time in Spain in Coca-Cola Headquarters. Currently developing the projecto of the first school building in Spain with Passivhaus certificate, and near to Zero consumption building that wont have connextion to electrical supply company.
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Published on: December 16, 2021
Cite: "Glass heart in a historic setting. Alcalá 141 by De Lapuerta + Campo Arquitectos" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/glass-heart-a-historic-setting-alcala-141-de-lapuerta-campo-arquitectos> ISSN 1139-6415
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