Mariano Garrigues in Fortuny 14: the house between palaces

On the border between the northern expansion of Madrid and the ‘Paseo de la Castellana’, three palatial estates coexist in the same block, which were the subject of different urban projects over time, in the conversion of the Castellana to a scene of power. The first one (Fernández-Shaw, 1935-1944), entailed to encompass one of these palaces with two new buildings: Riscal Residences and the Hou-se-Palace of Mr. Luis Ruiz Cobanera. The second one (Bescós and Mo-neo, 1972-1977), allowed building the new Bankinter headquarters, without demolishing the second palace. Finally, the third one (Lamela, 1974-1979), involved the replacement of the third palace by the Pyramid Building. On a fourth plot located between the three palaces, Mariano Garrigues built ‘Fortuny 14’ (1956-1962): a luxury block of flats, where the architect would place his own home. After reviewing the site (scene) and the buildings close to each other (company), the case study is focused on two points: first, the building shape and its materiality (character); second, the staging and the internal function (dialogues). Fortuny 14 would be part of this intricate scene from a quiet place, without being its protagonist, also revealing a Nordic sensibility that is close to post-war North American modernity..