This work is located on the “Paseo del Arte de Madrid”, an urban corridor with a overlap of historical, political, economic and cultural layers. This corridor is made up of two streets, the Paseo del Prado and the Ronda de Atocha, connecting architectural landmarks and generating public spaces.

In the cultural field we find the well-known Museums of the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia, representing different historical periods. However, the absence of a contemporary national museum in the twenty-first century becomes an opportunity for the rehabilitation of the tobacco factory building in Madrid.

The project involves the partial or total removal of buildings to improve permeability and connectivity around Tabacalera. Part of Embajadores Street is pedestrianized and a new access is created by means of a square in the eastern area. In addition, a new road is being developed connecting the square between the streets Miguel Servet and Provisiones.

A linear volume is designed on Embajadores Street, connecting three new volumes with the pre-existences of Tabacalera and the Cervantes Institute. It acts as a spine, generating various architectural situations along its longitudinal axis. The intervention is based on the voids of the city, creating a duplicity of the street. The ground floor is left free for interaction, while the roof becomes an elevated public space.

Moreover, this linear volume generates different urban scenes along its longitudinal axis. The first highlighted scene, is located in the central courtyard of Tabacalera, where the pre-existence, opens towards the new urban axis. In this space, a new volume of auditorium is framed, becoming a monumental piece of the new square.

Another important scene, is generated at the end of the axis, with a sports stands with equipment at its lower level, which gives service to an outdoor sports site and configures a new leisure space for the Cervantes Institute.

The structure is composed of trusses located on the perimeters of the linear volume and the auditorium, transmitting the load of the building to four concrete cores that connect the building with the urban road. For the facade of the building, a double leather of glass is designed, favouring the visual continuity between the existing buildings and the thermal comfort in the interior.


In conclusion, the project redefines Embajadores Street as the third cultural axis of the city, connecting and transforming Tabacalera into a multifunctional space dedicated to art, leisure and education. It dignifies pre-existences and generates a new artistic reference in Madrid, aimed at visitors as well as the local community and emerging artists.