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Undoubtedly, the headquarters of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain stands out, at first glance, for its unique design, popularly known as the "Crown of Thorns", but its history leaves no one indifferent either: this building made a long journey, which led him to abandonment for 16 years and changed its use up to 13 times.
Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2001, this building is one of the most emblematic works of contemporary Spanish architecture. Located in the University City of Madrid, it was commissioned in 1965 to the architects Fernando Higueras and Antonio Miró, who created a reinforced concrete construction, which stands out for its circular floor plan and a cornice trimmed by large peaks.
Higueras and Miró, joint authors of other singular works such as the Santoja house (Somosaguas, 1964) or the housing building for the Patronato de Casas Militares on Alberto Aguilera street (1967-1975), designed a building of 40 meters radius, consisting of basement and four floors, divided into 30 segments that doubled when reaching the outer bay.
Due to the site conditions, the architects decided to make the first floor narrower, which allowed them to finish the cantilevered second floor and give the building a lighter appearance. They also tilted the facade of the fourth floor inward to support the 55 'spines' and removed four gores from the 60 to open up the entrance.
In 1970, when four months were left for its completion and 92 million pesetas had been invested, the works were interrupted. Its general director, Florentino Pérez Embid, proposed dedicating the building to the National Center of Arts and Culture, forcing Higueras y Miró to make changes in the plans.
Thus, the structure of 24,000 square meters, began its period of abandonment. A period of 16 years in which the construction company changed, the construction management changed and different uses were considered, such as the Central Library of the Complutense University, the House of Culture, the NATO headquarters or the building annexed to the Moncloa Palace, among others.
Finally, in 1984, the project was recovered as a restoration center and work was resumed. On October 25, 1990, the Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España was inaugurated, although its opening did not mark the completion of the work. Subsequently, the library room was completed and the assembly hall was built.
Today, 48 years after its creation, the project continues to attract the interest of a multitude of national and international architects.
The Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España offers services as diverse as Architecture, Archaeology, Conservation, Materials Analysis, Biodeterioration, Preventive Conservation or Restoration of Works of Art, Archaeological and Ethnographic Heritage, Bibliographic Heritage, Documentary and Graphic Work. Different interdisciplinary areas in which approximately 150 professionals work.
This has allowed him to participate in diverse projects such as the restoration of the cathedrals of Segovia, Tarragona or Seville; the preventive conservation of architectural elements, such as the cloister of Santa María del Paular or the facades of the National Library; the recovery of some examples of industrial or defensive architecture, such as the castle of Buitrago de Lozoya or the walls of Toledo; or of valuable works, such as the grille of the chapel of the Doncel de Sigüenza or the mural paintings of San Antonio de la Florida.
