Bankinter Building

Description

The Bankinter building, completed in 1976, marks the beginning of a new sensitivity in contemporary architecture towards the city's heritage. Instead of demolishing the pre-existing building on the site, as was the custom in the projects for banking institutions carried out on the Paseo de la Castellana at the time, the architects decided to preserve the palace of the Marqués de Mudela, a late 19th century work. Far from wanting to compete with it, the new building stands as a backdrop to the historic building, using similar brickwork and maintaining its autonomy. The volume, with its complex geometry, responds to different programmatic needs and to the specific urban planning regulations of the area. The main façade is arranged with a regularly repeated window module which in the upper part becomes larger openings expressing the building's representative will. At the meeting point between the façade plane and the rear oblique plane is the entrance, through a portico which reinterprets the access to the mansion. The attention to detail, such as the windows, which are reminiscent of the art deco style, is fundamental to the project. It is also worth mentioning the integration of works of art in the architecture, such as the bas-reliefs by Francisco López Hernández, located in the upper part, or the fresco painting by Pablo Palazuelo in the entrance hall.