Torre Picasso

Skyscraper in Madrid, Spain

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Torre Picasso

General information
Location| Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain
Coordinates| 40°27′01″N 3°41′33″W﻿ / ﻿40.45028°N 3.69250°W﻿ / 40.45028; -3.69250
Construction started| 1982[1]
Completed| 1988[1]
Owner| Pontegadea Inmobiliaria[1]
Management| PER Gestora Inmobiliaria[1]
Height
Roof| 157 m (515 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor count| 46 above, 5 below[1]
Floor area| 121,000 m2 (1,302,000 sq ft)[1]
Lifts/elevators| 26[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Minoru Yamasaki; in collaboration with Jorge Mir Valls and Rafael Coll Pujol[1]
Main contractor| Construcciones y Contratas
Website
www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/torre-picasso

Torre Picasso (Picasso Tower) is a skyscraper in Madrid, Spain designed by Minoru Yamasaki. From 1988 until 2007 it was the tallest building in Madrid, measuring 515 ft (157 m) and with 43 floors.[1] Torre Picasso is located next to the Pablo Picasso Square, within the commercial complex AZCA along the Paseo de la Castellana.

The building is currently the fifth-largest in Madrid and the tenth-tallest building in Spain.

## History

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### Planning and construction

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The Torre Picasso was part of a plan to build a large block of modern buildings in the expansion area of northern Madrid. Construction of this area, better known as AZCA, began in 1970 and in 1975 the developer Unión de Explosivos Río Tinto, S.A. awarded the design of the tower to American architect Minoru Yamasaki, in collaboration with Jorge Mir Valls and Rafael Coll Pujol. In 1980, Yamasaki received a license to build the highest office complex of Madrid.[1]

Construction began late 1982, and the building opened in December 1988. During this period, construction stalled for a period until new owners Portland Valderrivas S.A. and Inmobiliaria Asón S.A., purchased the incomplete structure and relaunched work in 1985 under the direction of architect Fernando Alas.[1] In 2002, Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) regained control of the building through a purchase of Portland Valderrivas.[2] FCC owned the tower until December 2011[3] when Pontegadea Inmobiliaria, a division of Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. purchased the structure for €400 million.[4] PER Gestora Inmobiliaria, S.L.manages the building.[1]

### Skyline position

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At its opening in 1988, Torre Picasso surpassed the elder office tower Torre de Madrid. Notable surrounding skyscrapers are Torre Europa, Banco de Bilbao Tower and Torre Titania. Torre Picasso was Spain's tallest building until 2001, when it was overtaken by the Gran Hotel Bali in Benidorm, Alicante,[3] the Torre Espacio in 2007,[3] and Torre Caja Madrid, Torre de Cristal and Torre Sacyr Vallehermoso since 2009.

## Figures and statistics

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Night view. The building as seen from the junction of the Paseo de la Castellana and the Plaza de Pablo Ruiz Picasso. Black and white view looking southwest

The following information can be found on the official website of Torre Picasso:[1]

* Height: 157 m (515.09 ft) above ground (171 m (561.02 ft) including basement)
* 43 floors
* 5 basement floors (first level is a commercial area, others are parking)
* ground floor houses the lobby
* 42 floors house offices
* 44th floor contains mechanical equipment
* 45th floor contains the heliport
* Area: 71,700 m2 (771,772 sq ft) office space, 121,000 m2 (1,302,433 sq ft) in total
* Size per floor: 38 m × 50 m (124.67 ft × 164.04 ft)
* 26 elevators; 18 serve office floors divided into three zones:
* 1st-18th floors at 2.5 m/s (8.20 ft/s)
* 18th-32nd floors at 4 m/s (13.12 ft/s)
* 32nd-43rd floors at 6 m/s (19.69 ft/s) (fastest in Spain)
* Glass façade surface: 9,000 m2 (96,875 sq ft)
* Parking space: 837
* Foreseen population: 6,000 persons
* Daily visitors: 1,500 persons

## Architecture

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The entrance arch

The structure has a rectangular footprint with a windowless two-storey base. A wide round arch, resting on an underground steel structure for support, serves as the entrance and supports the façade above. The opening under this arch is covered by a special security glass named STADIP (the one used in Torre Agbar in Barcelona). Windows on floors 3 through 43 are grouped in twos divided by a slender pier. The groupings are divided by larger piers into 15 bays across the front of the building and 11 bays on the sides. The façade is covered in white aluminum and the corners of the structure are chamfered.[1] The top two floors are also windowless and the parapet flares to form a cornice. Elevators, in three groupings, occupy a bay in the rear of the structure along with stairways.

## Cultural depictions

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* The tower was previously home to the Canal+ TV studios.[citation needed]
* It was featured in the last scenes of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 movie Open Your Eyes. Lead character César (portrayed by Eduardo Noriega) commits suicide by jumping from the Torre Picasso.[3]
* It was featured in the Crisis (TV series) pilot as the Porter Pearce HQ though the action is supposed to happen in the DC area.[citation needed]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Did You Know..." per-gestora.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
2. ^ "FCC to take over Portland Valderrivas" (Press release). Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas. 16 April 2002. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
3. ^ a b c d "Torre Picasso". Emporis GMBH. Archived from the original on June 14, 2004. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
4. ^ Dominguez, Pablo (29 December 2011). "Zara Founder Buys Madrid Skyscraper Torre Picasso For EUR400M". The Wall Street Journal. wsj.com.

## External links

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Media related to Torre Picasso at Wikimedia Commons

* Official website of Torre Picasso
* Torre Picasso at Google Maps
* Torre Picasso at Flickr
* Picasso Tower, Kembhavi Architecture Foundation

* v
* t
* e

Minoru Yamasaki

Skyscrapers|

* One Woodward Avenue (1963)
* IBM Building (1963)
* Fairmont Century Plaza (1966)
* M&T Bank Center, Buffalo (1967)
* World Trade Center Tower 1, Tower 2, Buildings 4, 5 and 6 (1970–1971)
* Montgomery Ward Corporate Headquarters Tower (1972)
* Century Plaza Towers (1975)
* Bank of Oklahoma (1977)
* Rainier Bank Tower (1977)
* Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (1978)
* 100 Washington Square (1981)
* Torre Picasso (1988)
* Columbia Center (1989–2000)

Airports|

* St. Louis Lambert International Airport main terminal (1956)
* Dhahran International Airport terminal (1961)
* Eastern Airlines terminal at Logan Airport (1969)
* King Fahd International Airport master plan (1977)

Houses of worship|

* North Shore Congregation Israel (1964)
* Temple Beth El (1974)
* Shinji Shumeikai Founder's Hall (1982)

Other buildings|

* Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building annex (1951)
* Pruitt–Igoe housing project (1954)
* Grosse Pointe University School (1954)
* Military Personnel Records Center (1955)
* McGregor Memorial Conference Center (1957)
* Prentis Building and DeRoy Auditorium Complex (1959)
* Pacific Science Center (1962)
* Irwin Library at Butler University (1963)
* Oberlin Conservatory of Music (1963)
* Northwestern National Life Building (1965)
* Robertson Hall at Princeton University (1965)
* Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (1966)
* Dr. John Archer Library (1967)
* Japan Center (1968)
* Tulsa Performing Arts Center (1976)
* Istanbul Cevahir (1987)

Landscape architecture|

* Wascana Centre and University of Regina - Regina Campus (1961–1967)

List of works by Minoru Yamasaki

* v
* t
* e

Districts and wards of Madrid

Arganzuela|

* Atocha
* Imperial
* La Chopera
* Las Acacias
* Las Delicias
* Legazpi
* Palos de la Frontera

Barajas|

* Aeropuerto
* Alameda de Osuna
* Casco Histórico de Barajas
* Corralejos
* Timón

Carabanchel|

* Abrantes
* Buenavista
* Comillas
* Opañel
* Puerta Bonita
* San Isidro
* Vista Alegre

Centro|

* Cortes
* Embajadores
* Justicia
* Universidad
* Palacio
* Sol

Chamartín|

* Castilla
* Ciudad Jardín
* El Viso
* Hispanoamérica
* Nueva España
* Prosperidad

Chamberí|

* Almagro
* Arapiles
* Gaztambide
* Ríos Rosas
* Trafalgar
* Vallehermoso

Ciudad Lineal|

* Atalaya
* Colina
* Concepción
* Pinar de Chamartín
* Pueblo Nuevo
* Quintana
* San Juan Bautista
* San Pascual
* Ventas

Fuencarral-El Pardo|

* Barrio del Pilar
* El Goloso
* El Pardo
* Fuentelarreina
* La Paz
* Mirasierra
* Peñagrande
* Valverde

Hortaleza|

* Apóstol Santiago
* Canillas
* Palomas
* Pinar del Rey
* Piovera
* Valdefuentes

Latina|

* Aluche
* Campamento
* Cuatro Vientos
* Las Águilas
* Lucero
* Los Cármenes
* Puerta del Ángel

Moncloa-Aravaca|

* Aravaca
* Argüelles
* Casa de Campo
* Ciudad Universitaria
* El Plantío
* Valdemarín
* Valdezarza

Moratalaz|

* Fontarrón
* Horcajo
* Marroquina
* Media Legua
* Pavones
* Vinateros

Puente de Vallecas|

* Entrevías
* Numancia
* Palomeras Bajas
* Palomeras Sureste
* Portazgo
* San Diego

Retiro|

* Adelfas
* Estrella
* Ibiza
* Jerónimos
* Niño Jesús
* Pacífico

Salamanca|

* Castellana
* Fuente del Berro
* Goya
* Guindalera
* Lista
* Recoletos

San Blas-Canillejas|

* Amposta
* Arcos
* Canillejas
* Hellín
* Rejas
* Rosas
* Salvador
* Simancas

Tetuán|

* Almenara
* Bellas Vistas
* Berruguete
* Castillejos
* Cuatro Caminos
* Valdeacederas

Usera|

* Almendrales
* Moscardó
* Orcasitas
* Orcasur
* Pradolongo
* San Fermín
* Zofío

Vicálvaro|

* Ambroz
* Casco Histórico de Vicálvaro

Villa de Vallecas|

* Casco Histórico de Vallecas
* Santa Eugenia

Villaverde|

* Butarque
* Los Ángeles
* Los Rosales
* San Cristóbal de los Ángeles
* Villaverde Alto

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