We are located in the heart of Madrid, on the Paseo del Prado. An old building, the Mediodía Power Plant by the architect Jesus Carrasco and the engineer Jose Maria Hernandez Between 1899 and 1902 it provided electricity to the center of Madrid. . The structure was equipped with three steam boilers that produced electricity that generated power by burning coal. The building reflects the industrial typology of an apartment factory with two parallel naves made of solid brick with a granite plinth.
Swiss architects Jacques Herzog y Pierre de Meuron They designed the new headquarters of the Caixa Forum in Madrid in 2003. The work completely remodeled the old industrial building, respecting only the perimeter of the facades.

We will focus our attention on the Vertical Garden, the first to be installed in Spain. The impressive plant tapestry was designed by Patrick White -French botanist and artist and inventor of this technique with which he has created vertical gardens all over the world-. More than 15.000 plants cover the façade, transforming the wall into a living mural of ever-changing greenish tones. The native and foreign plants that cover the 460 square meters of surface sit on a humid blanket, without the need for a soil substrate, through which water slides from the top to the ground and retains the mineral salts that act as fertilizers. . The metal structure, which supports the wet blanket and the weight of the plants, is slightly separated from the building to create an air chamber that allows the roots to develop and act as a dividing wall with the next building.
The form of irrigation (automatic) is carried out from the top of the support and the excess water runs down the wall and is collected in a gutter located at the bottom of it as we can see when we get closer.

It is a vegetal lung in the center of the capital, in front of the Botanical Garden, which offers an artistic and natural attraction to anyone who walks by. According to data from La Caixa, among the species used the following can be highlighted: “Lonicera nitida, Yucca filamentosa, Cistus purpureus, Cedrus deodora, Pilosella aurantiaca, Dianthus deltoides, Arenaria montana, Cornus sanguinea, Lonicera pileata, Sedum alpestre, Campanula takesimana, Bergenia cordifolia and Garrya elliptica“. There are many native plants, such as red dogwood and other exotics. A surprising Garden that we cannot walk through but that we enjoy every time we pass by.

The Vertical Garden alone would make it worth visiting Caixa Forúm, but this center also offers cultural programming and exhibitions of great interest. That is why it is not unusual to see groups standing here doing bike tours through Madrid.

If you don't know him, what are you waiting for?

A abrazo.