Esp
One morning in July 1999 Madrid lost one of its great architectural jewels, Miguel Fisac's "La Pagoda", a building that had positioned the Spanish capital as a reference among the works of architectural excellence and that disappeared, at the stroke of a bulldozer, amid conspiracy theories spread by its own architect and the opposition of most of the professionals in the sector.
The JORBA laboratories building, which represented one of the most emblematic works of contemporary Spanish architecture, was built by the La Mancha architect Miguel Fisac in 1965 on the Madrid exit, on the side of the A-2 (when it was still called Nacional II).
In the project, Fisac demonstrated his brilliance through a proposal of daring solutions that eliminated spatial limits and budgetary restrictions, elevating the work above its contemporaries.
The result was possible thanks to the great knowledge and study that Fisac had acquired during his career on concrete, a malleable material that, for the architect, could not be kept half-hidden in structures and foundations, but had to be shown in a functional and expressive way.
Under this premise, the architect from La Mancha shaped the roof of the warehouses and the production hall of the JORBA laboratories headquarters by means of the so-called "bone beams", hollow prefabricated concrete pieces with a triangular cross-section, which made it possible to cover large spans with post-tensioned steel bars. With this solution, devised by Fisac himself, the weight of the roof was lightened, but also the waterproofing was solved and a uniform zenithal light entry was achieved.
In addition, the complex consisted of a free-standing tower (popularly known as Pagoda) that housed the laboratory offices. To develop it, Fisac received an express request from his client: the creation had to be eye-catching and serve as an advertising lure for those who drove along the road. To this end, the architect from La Mancha devised an ingenious and simple solution that consisted of rotating each floor 45 degrees with respect to the previous one and linked each envelope by means of concrete hyperboloids, which undoubtedly gave the project a characteristic and impressive silhouette.
Although the resulting building became an emblem of modern Spanish architecture almost before its inauguration and was well received by most of the people of Madrid, after 25 years of activity it was demolished and relegated to oblivion.
The reason? There are several theories about the end of the unique and interesting building. The one spread by the architect of the work argues that Miguel Fisac was attacked by Opus Dei leaders when he severed his ties with the religious organization after almost 20 years of relationship. An attack that, according to Fisac, was launched through the Madrid City Council and its mayor, José María Álvarez del Manzano.
However, the more realistic (and less epic) theory points to real estate speculation and administrative malpractice. When the Madrid City Council created the catalog of protected buildings for the new 1997 Urban Development Plan, it left out "La Pagoda" and, two years later, the new owners (Grupo Lar) decided that the building did not take full advantage of the buildability of the plot, so if they tore it down and built a bigger one they could get more profit from the site.
Against this backdrop, protests were of little use. The JORBA laboratories building disappeared and became Madrid's lost heritage. Currently, the organization change.org is promoting an initiative to collect signatures in favor of the reconstruction and recovery of Fisac's project, this time on the grounds of the former Air Hospital in Madrid.
