A multi-purpose structure in the heart of Madrid

The main objective in rebuilding the Community of Madrid Sport Palace after it was razed by fire was to make space fit function.

That meant not only redesigning the distribution and location of service spaces (locker rooms, halls, accesses, restrooms) affected by regulatory issues, but also remembering what kind of use a space of this size and type is put to nowadays. The job, then, was a total reconstruction, not a refurbishment, and it was designed and executed in accordance with current legislation and intended for the new uses that society demands.

The Palace is not designed for any particular type of event, but rather to be able to host the widest possible range of events. The building is located right in the heart of the city. Its location seriously restricts the building's volume possibilities, but even so it was precisely the location that encouraged us to explore the possibilities of this multi-purpose space, as it is located at a very important point in the city centre and has got numerous public transport possibilities (four underground lines and more than fifteen city bus lines).

The Palace has got a huge seating capacity. It is equipped with telescoping stadium seating and dividing curtains, so it can be set up in different capacity configurations to suit the needs of a particular event, accommodating over 15,000 spectators at a boxing match or concert, 13,500 at a gymnastics championship or a basketball, volleyball, handball or indoor football match, and almost 7,000 at a track meet, with the track at a height of +3.60.

The building has been equipped with three levels of parking facilities for better accessibility. This was done with a mind to not only the attending public, but also the daily life of neighbouring residents. Now the people involved in an event can get convenient access during assembly, performance and breakdown without making a nuisance of themselves. In addition lorries and buses have direct access to and from the inside, so they cause no additional snarls in the dense traffic surrounding the Palace.

These are some of the most significant figures on this reconstruction job:
30,000 m3 of demolitions, 6,000 metres of pilings, 2,500 metres of micropilings, 11,300 m2 of foundation walls (80-100 centimetres thick), 8,500 tons of rebar, 64,000 m3 of concrete, 4,600 tons of steel in metal structures, 4,700 metres of prefabricated stadium seating, 14,000 m2 of Kalzip aluminium roofing, 5,000 m2 of resin roofing and 15,400 seats.