Architecture City Guide: 20 Places Every Architect Should Visit in Madrid

© Nico Trinkhaus [Flickr], License CC BY-NC 2.0

Madrid is unfathomable. If the city itself is immense, it´s examples of interesting architecture are overwhelming. For over a half a century, Madrid has been an experimental laboratory for modern and contemporary architecture in Spain. With numerous examples of innovative and experimental architecture, as well as many failures, few of which are valued and recognized. This selection seeks to show archetypal examples of architecture that have transcended time; it does not intend to be an exhaustive list of the city´s architectural works. Many will think that the list lacks important buildings and personally, I couldn´t agree more. That is perhaps the beauty of Madrid: there is a diversity of opinion, there are thousands of sites to see, the city surprises you with every step you take.

As part of this selection, we have the works that gave form to Spanish modernity. Buildings created from the minds of the modernity geniuses of the likes of Sota and Oiza. But these alone wouldn´t do the city justice. We have also included the great exponents of the first contemporaneity, pioneers of a movement that was rejected in its time but that gave shape to the current contemporaneity. Lastly, we have included urban references that have shaped the city, undervalued projects that have had great importance to the way of city making in Spain.

The list doesn´t include everything, but I believe that the selection will help the reader understand Madrid. Welcome.