The customer was the La Caija fund, which belongs to the financial group of the same name, one of the largest in Spain. The foundation is engaged in a variety of cultural and social projects throughout the country, and there are about ten institutions like the new Madrid center.
But Kayha Forum differs from others not only by its architectural design - the work of famous Swiss architects, but also by the fact that it is part of the Boulevard of Arts program, the aim of which is to unite the most important museums in Madrid into a single ensemble. It also includes an updated Prado with
the new building of Raphael Moneo, Jean Nouvel's Reina Sophia Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisse collection.
The new building of the Forum is a reconstructed complex of the Mediodia power station, built at the beginning of the 20th century. The project echoed the world-renowned redevelopment of the Tate Modern in London, also a converted power plant, for Herzog & de Meuron.
In Madrid, a historic red brick building has been enlarged five times: its original area of 2000 sq. m added with four new ground floors and two underground. The ensemble also includes the first "vertical garden" in Spain designed by the French artist Patrick Blanc: on a wall with an area of 10,000 sq. m planted about 15,000 plants of 250 species. A new square has been set up next to the Kaykha Forum on the site of a demolished gas station.
Additional public space has been “carved out” in the old power plant building. Its first floor has been partially converted into a "covered area", where the entrance to the building is located. This solution creates the impression of "floating" a heavy brick volume above the ground and gives the composition dynamics.
Inside the building there is a lobby, cafe, exhibition halls, restaurant and offices. An auditorium, technical rooms and a garage are arranged underground. The main staircase occupies an important place in the new building; its light curved space connects all the levels of the Forum.
