+
Things that are only themselves
Flight Training Acadamy in Cuatro Vientos Airport, Madrid, Spain
Architecture Design VII
2016
“Ok, Cuatro Vientos, we’ve had a problem here“
Cuatro Vientos Airport is located in Madrid. Nowadays is considered as junk space due to the lack of activity on it, which is limited to a few non-commercial flights and pilot academy courses. Moreover is completely disconnected from an urban perspective because its line of contact with the city is a big wall, which separates the military base from Carabanchel neighbourhood.
What should we do then?. Cuatro Vientos Airport and Madrid Barajas Airport are the only non military airports in Madrid metropolitan area, so that helps to understand why should it maintain its original character related to aerial activities. So the first decision is to dismantle the military base in the north converting this area into public space, parks and equipments, letting people to go into the complex. At the same time a different strategy is proposed for the south part of the airport. There a intensification of the educational program is proposed, converting Cuatro Vientos in one big campus dedicated to aeronautics and pilot academies. Reusing, refurbishing actual buildings and connecting them through a big green area will make us able to revitalize the complex without demolishing what was there before.
But in order for Cuatro Vientos to become a complete up to date campus, a new building is proposed. La fábrica de nubes (The cloud factory) is proposed in order to host those techniques that couldn’t be developed in other buildings due to the lack of space or technological possibilities. Virtual technologies, virtual reality, full flight simulators, droneports,…everything inside a single container that is able to change and adapt itself to the needs of the campus.Techniques and technology change along time, and buildings don’t usually respond to this variations.
That’s why La Fábrica de Nubes appears as a reconfigurable box that today will host a flight simulation but tomorrow will be able to host a school, a museum…or maybe nothing.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Things that are only themselves
Flight Training Acadamy in Cuatro Vientos Airport, Madrid, Spain
Architecture Design VII
2016
“Ok, Cuatro Vientos, we’ve had a problem here“
Cuatro Vientos Airport is located in Madrid. Nowadays is considered as junk space due to the lack of activity on it, which is limited to a few non-commercial flights and pilot academy courses. Moreover is completely disconnected from an urban perspective because its line of contact with the city is a big wall, which separates the military base from Carabanchel neighbourhood.
What should we do then?. Cuatro Vientos Airport and Madrid Barajas Airport are the only non military airports in Madrid metropolitan area, so that helps to understand why should it maintain its original character related to aerial activities. So the first decision is to dismantle the military base in the north converting this area into public space, parks and equipments, letting people to go into the complex. At the same time a different strategy is proposed for the south part of the airport. There a intensification of the educational program is proposed, converting Cuatro Vientos in one big campus dedicated to aeronautics and pilot academies. Reusing, refurbishing actual buildings and connecting them through a big green area will make us able to revitalize the complex without demolishing what was there before.
But in order for Cuatro Vientos to become a complete up to date campus, a new building is proposed. La fábrica de nubes (The cloud factory) is proposed in order to host those techniques that couldn’t be developed in other buildings due to the lack of space or technological possibilities. Virtual technologies, virtual reality, full flight simulators, droneports,…everything inside a single container that is able to change and adapt itself to the needs of the campus.Techniques and technology change along time, and buildings don’t usually respond to this variations.
That’s why La Fábrica de Nubes appears as a reconfigurable box that today will host a flight simulation but tomorrow will be able to host a school, a museum…or maybe nothing.
