Work starts on the new UNWTO headquarters in Madrid (Spain)

30-08-23

• The works will take 18 months to complete and have a budget of 21.4 million euros.

The Spanish company Ferrovial has been awarded the contract to remodel and expand building B of the Madrid Convention and Exhibition Centre to house the new headquarters of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), for a total of 21.4 million euros, according to the State Contracting Platform.

In this way, the construction company has been awarded a project for which 10 other candidatures had been presented, among which it was chosen "for having obtained the highest score". The execution period has been set at 18 months.

In April, the Council of Ministers authorised the works, which will include "a complete interior reconfiguration of the existing volume to adapt it to the new uses, with interior demolition of partitions and installations". In addition, "an additional third floor will be built with new structural elements to support the existing ones".

"The aim is to create a contemporary architectural language that is clearly but discreetly different from the mural designed by Joan Miró. The roof will have skylights to facilitate natural lighting", the government stresses.

The Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Madrid was inaugurated in 1970, and is made up of three buildings or constructive volumes (A, B and C). It is attached to the Spanish Tourism Institute.

In 1995, a serious fire caused the collapse of Auditorium B and the adjoining rooms on the north façade. After the incident, the necessary work was undertaken to allow the rest of the building to function without proceeding with the reconstruction of the affected areas, an area that is still open and unused today.

The rest of the building continued in use until 2012, when it was decided to temporarily suspend activities, a decision motivated by a series of technical reports that determined that the safety requirements of the current regulations were not met. The suspension ceased to be temporary and became indefinite until all safety regulations were met.