César Carlos College, Madrid, Spain

With the characteristic ceramic cladding of this residence in Madrid’s Ciudad Universitaria, Alejandro de la Sota sought, through a chromatic combination, to blend the building with its surroundings. KALAM intervened combining the necessary updating with the appropriate conservation of this building, representative of our 20th century heritage. An insulation injection system was used in existing chambers, preserving the original construction, replacing the carpentry with more efficient profiles, taking into account the original solution in their manufacture. In order to recover its characteristic image, a detailed study of ceramic pieces of more than 30 shades ranging from glossy to matte was carried out with handmade production and individual rectified treatment (more than 120,000 pieces). With the advice of the Alejandro de la Sota Foundation, KALAM has recovered the original skin of the building, improving its energy efficiency. Adjusting to the client’s needs, we carried out the intervention in phases over three consecutive years.