Reclaiming Madrid’s riverbanks and creating spaces for connection, recreation, and celebration: Madrid Rio heals the wounds caused over 40 years of the motorway situated within the urban and social fabric.
The realization of the 120 hectare park has reconnected the northern and southern nature areas of Madrid.
Connecting the River to the City
Renovating and integrating the historical bridges; creating new spatial relationships between the monuments and the city.
Creating a place where the river is really experienced – the Cascara bridges link both the river and the community together.
Arganzuela Park and the Salon de Pinos are connected by two pedestrian bridges, the Puentes Cascara. In contrast to usually technical and pragmatic pedestrian infrastructural bridges, they were designed as a massive concrete dome with a rough exterior. These bridges have the scale of park elements and not of the infrastructure.
Like geodes, the fine detailing becomes visible from inside the bridge. The ceilings feature an intricate and colourful mosaic designed by Spanish artist Daniel Canogar. The artwork depicts residents of the neighbourhood falling from the sky, in a playful and unique display of community involvement. On the edge of the ceiling, the lighting illuminates the artwork and the deck by reflection on the tiles. The elegant slim steel deck is composed of more than one hundred cables, resembling whale baleens, and provides the necessary tension for the bridge structure.
Client
Municipality of Madrid
Partners
Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos Asociados, Porras La Casta Arquitectos and Rubio & Álvarez-Sala (during construction period these 3 Madrid-based firms formed a joint venture for the project: MRIO arquitectos)
Consultants
Cascara Bridges | FHECOR-Hugo Corres
Imagery
© Jeroen Musch, © Ira Efremova, © Richter Spielgerate, © ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzman + Rocio Romero) and © West 8
Videography
Hovercameras via Dronestock under CC0 License
