Castellana 77: A symbol of urban and architectural regeneration

Global architecture firm, luis vidal + arquitectos, was asked to transform the emblematic Castellana 77 office building of the GMP Group, a leading real estate firm in Spain. Located in the financial heart of Madrid, the building needed to be redesigned to achieve goals of sustainability, flexibility, and harmony with the environment.

"The work involved great difficulties as we started from the physical constraint of the existing building," says Jugatx López Amurrio, director of the Castellana 77 Project. "Integrating both realities was a great challenge."

To overcome this architectural challenge, the right solutions were vital.

The project team used Autodesk's Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) Collection to explore the existing building space virtually and make quick changes, ensuring quality design and coordination. The Castellana 77 project was the first time luis vidal + arquitectos implemented BIM in the redesign of an existing building.

The technology gave luis vidal + arquitectos the ability to exchange information within their team and all its international offices, even with the time and location differences. This increased productivity and reinforced the quality of the work.

Consequently, this simplified 2D and 3D production, ensuring the coordination of all documents and meeting the client's deadlines. "The AEC Collection allowed us to reduce repetitive tasks by 30% and communication time by 50%," explains the Studio's BIM director, Sara Moreno.

The Autodesk AEC Collection was used in this project, including Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, and 3ds Max, and allowed for greater productivity and better coordination in the BIM environment. Thanks to Revit and Navisworks, the information could be shared in real-time with the consultants and client. That simplified coordination for luis vidal + arquitectos in all project phases.

One of the challenges of the project was the need to virtually explore an already existing space to quickly apply design solutions. Revit made this both possible and efficient. "One software helped us to virtually rebuild an existing building and stay flexible at every stage of the project, facilitating communication and coordination," says Moreno. "This helped us maximize the efficiency and productivity of the team. We were not looking for a 3D survey software; we needed to interpret the information to translate it into the modeling of the construction process."

As for Navisworks, it served to simulate the construction process, thus anticipating possible contingencies and making efficient decisions. "We model how we build," explains Moreno.

Using BIM allowed luis vidal + arquitectos to deliver their project on time. Given the complexity of Castellana 77, BIM was key in facilitating careful planning and maximum agility. The real-time sharing of accurate information made possible by BIM led to quick and effective decision-making and clear communication with the client.

"Castellana 77 served as a model in the implementation of the BIM methodology at luis vidal + arquitectos and currently serves as an example to measure how the latest tools available provide us with greater agility, control, and efficiency," says Moreno. "Currently, 90% of luis vidal + arquitectos' clients demand BIM in their architectural projects."

Castellana 77 is now a symbol of urban and architectural regeneration in Madrid—bringing sustainability to the city's skyline.

"Our objective with Castellana 77 was to create a new, recognizable, flexible and sustainable property that would generate a quality space and whose new image would be integrated by its own merit into the Madrid skyline," says Luis Vidal, founding partner of the firm. The commitment of the studio to improve the quality of life of people with flexible, beautiful, and sustainable designs makes its projects high-value legacies for future generations.