langarita navarro's medialab prado exhibits a colorful industrial modernism

‘medialab prado’ by estudio langarita navarro, madrid, spain
image © miguel de guzman
all images courtesy of estudio langarita navarro

with a new approach to traditional notions of restoration, madrid-based practice estudio langarita navarro has created an addition to the medialab-prado museum, ‘a space for the production, research and dissemination of digital culture and the confluence between art, science, technology and society.’ the concept stems from the dichotomous nature of the existing structure designed by manuel alvarez naya in the 1920’s (the first example of reinforced concrete in madrid) titled the ‘serreria belga’ or ‘belgian sawmill’, and the colorful interceptions existing within and throughout named ‘la cosa’ or ‘the thing’. one does not negate the presence of the other, but rather uses it as a means to a harmonious coexistence between the modern and historic. the existing concrete structure becomes the permanent framework while the additions and infills take on a more ephemeral nature, allowing the building and its program to constantly re-adapt and allow the users, rather than the architecture, to activate the spaces.

(left) street facade
(right) entrance
image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © miguel de guzman

image © luis diaz diaz

image © miguel de guzman

image © miguel de guzman

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © miguel de guzman

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © luis diaz diaz

image © miguel de guzman

image © miguel de guzman

image © luis diaz diaz

construction
image © miguel de guzman

construction
image © miguel de guzman

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project info:

project: adaptation of the serrería belga for the centro medialab-prado location
location: madrid
architects: maría langarita and víctor navarro
collaborators: elena castillo, marta colón, javier gonzález galán, roberto gonzález, juan palencia, guillermo trapiello, gonzalo gutiérrez, paula garcía-masedo
surveyor: santiago hernán martín
structures: mecanismo
installations: úrculo ingenieros
landscaping: lorena garcía rodríguez
client: área de las artes. madrid city hall
budget: 1600 euros/m2