The Imaginary Invalid

How to turn an abandoned building in the center of Madrid into a new focus of social and cultural interaction? This project proposes the reprogramming of the Albéniz Theater and the Madrid Hotel, reborn as polymorphous buildings for flexible shows which can also serve as public spaces for the neighborhood. A great mechanized scenography for citizens.

The treatment begins. As we enter the architectural complex, we observe that all the symptoms have disappeared. From the new theater foyer to the hotel, we see how everything connects in a fluid way, working as a unity. The Madrid Hotel undergoes a conversion, becoming a new cultural center with versatile interior spaces dedicated to the development of culture, promoting social integration in the area. \nThe Albéniz Theater maintains its function. However, its internal organs suffer major interventions in order to adapt to the complex needs that a theater of today requires. For this purpose, the auditorium becomes a completely flexible area. In this way we can adapt the space to a wide variety of shows, not only by changing its capacity, but also by adjusting the acoustic and visual conditions of the theater to our needs. An example of this is the possibility of turning the fly or stage tower into a black box theater which allows a special interaction between actors and the public. \nThe reborn Albéniz has a large number of configurable elements. In our patient’s new anatomy, we find the new theater boxes inspired by avant-garde scenery. Combined with the original chairs, these elements can be folded according to the use of the auditorium. \nThe “flexibility of the sky” is also taken into consideration. The design of a new structural skeleton is proposed to serve as a support for the new transversable roof, which can be opened and closed using a system similar to a wide retractable grandstand. The new acoustic panels suspended from the same structure will also follow the design line of the other elements, varying their inclination according to the spatial opening or acoustic reflection desired. \nDue to all these possibilities offered by these elements, the theater can also turn into a public space, converting the Albéniz into an urban plaza, leaving the sky and the systems of the technical ceiling visible to the visitors. \nAt the end of the story, the Albéniz becomes a large mechanized set, aesthetically dramatic and full of mechanisms that resemble those of a huge stage box that introduce the user to the play itself.