OHL will rehabilitate Castellana 81, former head office of BBVA in Madrid

The GMP real estate group has awarded to OHL the restoration and adjustment works required to provide commercial use to the historic tower located at Castellana 81. The contract has a budget of 14.3 million euros (without VAT); most of the works will be executed over 12 months, and six months will be spent in executing the part still being used by the bank.

Designed in 1971 by the prestigious architect Francisco J. Sáenz de Oiza, the building was constructed between 1978 and 1981 by Obrascón (today integrated into OHL) to provide a head office in Madrid for Banco Bilbao (the original BBVA).

Castellana 81 is a reference in Spain’s modern architecture, as well as of Madrid’s city landscape, thanks to a façade that combines glass with Corten-steel carpentry work. This material, over the course of time, becomes rusty on the outside in order to protect the inside, giving it its characteristic color and texture.

Whilst upholding its architectural singularity, these rehabilitation works aim at providing the building with the highest sustainability and comfort as a work place, principally through the use of recycled materials. These activities cover a broad renovation of interior space and facilities, as well as a complete set of measures to position the building as one of the most sustainable and efficient in Madrid’s office market, significantly reducing energy use.

Castellana 81 is 107 metres high and the building has 28 floors of office space, five of which are double-height, open-plan and column-free. With a standard surface area of 1,325 m², all the floors open out onto the central lift and services system. There are 411 parking spaces.

Rehabilitation works at Castellana 81.