New life for the BBVA of Sáenz de Oiza renovated by Ruíz Barbarín. Photographic essay by Imagen Subliminal

This year is celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the architects of reference in Spanish architecture of the twentieth century.

Rehabilitación Castellana 81. Fotografía © Miguel de Guzmán y Rocío Romero. Imagen subliminal

The next October 12 will be the anniversary of this exceptional architect, Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza (Cáseda, Navarra, 1918 - Madrid, 2000). He studied at the Escuela de Madrid, graduating in 1946 and obtaining the Aníbal Álvarez prize for the best academic record, which allowed him to get a scholarship from the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando to travel to the United States in 1948, a trip that would be fundamental the rest of his life.

The rest of his life will combine teaching and professional life. His work is diverse, complex and eclectic, without typecasting, without a clear identity in terms of style, and with multiple references and influences. Among them the sculptor Jorge Oteiza.

Of all his works, what I consider to be his masterpiece is the current Castellana 81 building, known since its creation by different generations of architects such as Banco Bilbao (1974-1981). With this exceptional photo-essay, made by Miguel de Guzmán (Imagen Subliminal), focused on its best building, we started the year of celebrations.

With an overwhelming personality, Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza will be one of the key figures to understand many generations of architects especially the last third of the century. If you want to know more about the building and its restoration follow the links of previous articles published in METALOCUS.

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Architects

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Building Author.- Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza; Renovation project author.- Antonio Ruiz Barbarin.

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Team

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Ruiz Barbarin Arquitectos, S.L.P.- Antonio Balguerías Chico de Guzman, architect. Marta Muñoz, architect, María de Lorenzo, architect, Fernando Martínez, architect, Jose Ángel Delgado, architect. Gonzalo Sallés Fdez-Pacheco, Execution Direction.- Beatriz Llamas and Marta Soria.

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Collaborators

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ITA Ingeniería, S.L.P. Structural Engineering.- Carlos Fernández Casado, S.L. Installations Engineering.- Solventa, S.L. Technical Assistance of facades.- Enar Envolventes. Security and health.- SGS. Leed stamp.- Ove Arup & Partners, S.A. Project Manager.- Gleeds Ibérica.

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Landscape Design

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Luis Vallejo.

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Constructor

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OHL.

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Developer

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GMP.

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Area

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48.200 m².

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Dates

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2013-17.

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Venue

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Pº de la Castellana 81, Madrid, Spain.

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Furniture

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Furniture advice.- Mairea Proyectos.

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Photography

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Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero).

Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza

Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza. (Cáseda, 12 October 1918 - Madrid, 18 July 2000) was a Spanish architect and influential practitioner of the modernist movement in Spain. He studied architecture in Madrid. After a study trip to the United States, in 1949 he returned to Madrid where he started teaching at the School of Architecture, later becoming its director. Among the numerous awards he received in Spain are the National Architecture Award (1954), the Gold Medal for Architecture (1989) and the Prince of Asturias Award (1993). Sáenz is considered to be one of the most influential Spanish architects during the second half of the 20th century. He died of cancer in 2000.

One of his most notable projects was the Torres Blancas high-rise apartment and office building in Madrid. With a height of 71 metres, it was built between 1964 and 1969. The façade consists of cylindrical volumes crowned by round overhanging balconies. Other notable projects include the Arantzazu Basilica in Oñati, the Torre Triana administrative building in Seville, the Spanish embassy in Brussels, the Public University of Navarra in Pamplona, the remodelling of an old palace in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, into the Atlantic Centre of Modern Art, and the Banco de Bilbao Tower in Madrid.

Antonio Ruiz Ruíz Barbarín Arquitectos

Antonio Ruíz Barbarín. Born in Corella, Navarra, since 1985 he is an architect by ETSAM with Honorary Degree, being awarded the Extraordinary Prize and Nº1 of the Promotion. Doctor Cum Laudae for the E.T.S.A.M, with the thesis "Luis Barragan in front of the mirror. The Other Look ". (September 2004). He has been professor since 1989, and since 2012 professor in the Department of Architectural Projects of ETSAM.

During his career, he has combined teaching and research with some editorial work. During the years 1.985 to 1.987 was co-founder and co-director of the Architecture magazine "El Croquis International", in addition, he´s co-author of the book "Spanish Contemporary Architecture 1,975 -1,990". (Editorial El Croquis), with which he obtains the COAM 1.989 Award and "Madrid looks at his statues" (Madrid VII City Hall award in urban research), and is also the author of "Luis Barragán in front of the mirror. The Other Look ", (Editorial Fundacion Caja de Arquitectos, 2008). Now he has just published the books "Pretexts to talk about architecture" (Editorial Nobuko, 2012) and "Seventy steps. The ladder in time and space" (Caser Foundation) as a result of three years of research and this year has won the COAM 2013 Award.

He is curator of the exhibition "35+ Arquitectura Española 1975 - 2010. 35+ Building in Democracy", itinerant in Athens and Nicosia, Cadiz and Madrid. His work, with a high percentage in the field of rehabilitation, is carried out in different countries, having been published in different books and magazines, both national and foreign. His work has won national and international awards, among them the COAM 2013 Prize for the rehabilitation of the new headquarters of the law firm Cuatrecasas in Madrid and COAM 2015 Award for the rehabilitation of the office building sito en c / Génova 17 in Madrid.

Miguel de Guzmán

Miguel de Guzmán born in Rio de Janeiro in 1972. He is an architect (ETSAM. 1998) and also architectural photographer. He has been professor in the Graphic Ideation Department at CEU Architecture School and the Photography Department of Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid. Since 2008 Imagen Subliminal is the broadcast platform through which he shows his work as photographer and videographer. As an Architect, he has been awarded with the Dionisio Hernadez Gil Prize for the Diocesan Priest House in Plasencia (work done together with Andres Jaque and Enrique Krahe), and was selected for the 2005 Spanish Architecture Bienal. As a Photographer he has been finalist in ABC Journal Art Awards 2000, El Mundo Photography awards 2001. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions (Circuitos de Arte Joven, Galeria Vírgenes, Photo España…). The book "Miguel de Guzmán Architectural Photography" contains a selection of photographs taken between the years 2003 and 2013, and which give example of a new way in the making of architectural photography.

JOSÉ JUAN BARBA

José Juan Barba (1964) architect from ETSA Madrid in 1991. Special Mention in the National Finishing University Education Awards 1991. PhD in Architecture ETSAM, 2004. He founded his professional practice in Madrid in 1992 (www.josejuanbarba.com). He has been an architecture critic and editor-in-chief of METALOCUS magazine since 1999, and he advised different NGOs until 1997. He has been a lecturer (in Design, Theory and Criticism, and Urban planning) and guest lecturer at different national and international universities (Roma TRE, Polytechnic Milan, ETSA Madrid, ETSA Barcelona, UNAM Mexico, Univ. Iberoamericana Mexico, University of Thessaly Volos, FA de Montevideo, Washington, Medellin, IE School, U.Alicante, Univ. Europea Madrid, UCJC Madrid, ESARQ-U.I.C. Barcelona,...).

Maître de Conférences IUG-UPMF Grenoble 2013-14. Full assistant Professor, since 2003 up to now at the University of Alcalá School of Architecture, Madrid, Spain. And Jury in competitions as Quaderns editorial magazine (2011), Mies van der Rohe Awards, (2010-2024), Europan13 (2015). He has been invited to participate in the Biennale di Venezia 2016 as part "Spaces of Exception / Spazi d'Eccezione".

He has published several books, the last in 2016, "#positions" and in 2015 "Inventions: New York vs. Rem Koolhaas, Bernard Tschumi, Piranesi " and collaborations on "Spaces of Exception / Spazi d'Eccezione", "La Mansana de la discordia" (2015), "Arquitectura Contemporánea de Japón: Nuevos territorios" (2015)...

Awards.-

- Award. RENOVATION OF SEGURA RIVER ENVIRONMENT, Murcia, Sapin, 2010.
- First Prize, RENOVATION GRAN VÍA, “Delirious Gran Vía”, Madrid, Spain, 2010.
- First Prize, “PANAYIOTI MIXELI Award”. SADAS-PEA, for the Spreading of Knowledge of Architecture Athens, 2005.
- First Prize, “SANTIAGO AMÓN Award," for the Spreading of Knowledge of Architecture. 2000.
- Award, “PIERRE VAGO Award." ICAC -International Committee of Art Critics. London, 2005.
- First Prize, C.O.A.M. Madrid, 2000. Shortlisted, World Architecture Festival. Centro de Investigación e Interpretación de los Ríos. Tera, Esla y Orbigo, Barcelona, 2008.
- First Prize. FAD AWARD 07 Ephemeral Interventions. “M.C.ESCHER”. Arquin-Fad. Barcelona, Sapin 2007.

Published on: January 7, 2018

Cite: "New life for the BBVA of Sáenz de Oiza renovated by Ruíz Barbarín. Photographic essay by Imagen Subliminal" METALOCUS. Accessed

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