Madrid from La Marañosa: The Perspective that Unveiled an Unforgettable Skyline
That spring of 2020, while the world stood still and our lives were secluded within four walls, an image burst into the monotony of the news with the force of a breath of fresh air. A photograph of Madrid's skyline, limpid and golden, taken from the distance of La Marañosa, began to circulate like wildfire. "This is Madrid without pollution," it was said, and for an instant, we all thought we could see our city as never before, with an amazing clarity under a purified sky.
We later learned, thanks to the verification work of sites like Maldita.es, that the snapshot belonged to the talented photographer José Luis Cano and had been captured in 2018. But did that change anything about the excitement we felt? For many, that image was a window to hope, a reminder of the resilient beauty of our city. At that precise moment, as we virtually gazed at that skyline that seemed to whisper to us "it will all pass," the spark of Skyline City was born. Two architects, moved by that vision, decided that that line, that unique perspective, deserved to be transferred from the ephemeral click of a camera to the lasting warmth of paper and wood.
The Magic of La Marañosa: Where the Pirulí Whispers to the Towers
The view from La Marañosa is not just any view; it is a privileged perspective that redefines the silhouette of Madrid. Many of you have asked us, sometimes with a knowing smile, about the position of Torrespaña, our beloved "Pirulí", in the design of Madrid's skyline. An artistic whim? Not at all. It is the pure magic of the perspective offered by this enclave in the southeast of the capital. From this singular angle, the Pirulí does not stand alone, but seems to converse intimately with the modern complex of the Five Towers, creating a longitudinal composition that tells the story of Madrid in a single visual stroke.
A Journey through the Madrid Horizon from the Southeast
Let's follow that line that inspired us so much, as presented from La Marañosa:
The visual tour starts with emblematic buildings that mark the most traditional and financial pulse of the city. We distinguish the historic Union Building and the Fénix, to then enter the AZCA district, the financial heart, where the Titania Tower rises with a future vocation on the site of the former Windsor. Next to it, the elegant Castellana 81 Building (former BBVA headquarters, designed by Sáenz de Oiza), the iconic Picasso Tower and the robust Europa Tower draw a profile of power and modernity.
Continuing the visual journey along the Paseo de la Castellana axis, the eye comes across the Cuzco Ministerial Complex, an antechamber to the northern gateway to the city: the unmistakable Kio Towers (Puerta de Europa), defying verticality with their calculated inclination. And it is then that Torrespaña, the Pirulí, enters the scene in that special way, culminating the sequence next to the imposing set of the Five Towers Business Area, the current giants that dominate the Madrid sky.
Beyond the Castellana: The Soul of Madrid
Although our design is inspired by this particular perspective, Madrid is a city of multiple horizons and corners full of history. From the solemn Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, witnesses of centuries, to the bustle of the Gran Vía with its theaters and the iconic neon of the Capitol Building, to the pioneering silhouette of the Telefónica Building, every corner of Madrid tells a story, every building is a verse of an urban poem in constant writing.
A Skyline That Never Stops Dreaming: The Future on the Horizon
The Five Towers complex, with the recent addition of the Caleido Tower, is not the end of the story. Already there are whispers in the city of the arrival of a sixth colossus, the "North Tower," which by 2025 or a little beyond, will once again transform this skyline we love so much. Madrid does not stand still, its skyline always has room for a new architectural dream.
Skyline Madrid: Our First Layout, Your Favorite
The Madrid Skyline was our opera prima, the design that started it all and, to this day, is still the one you love the most. It captures that essence, that unique perspective from La Marañosa that we fell in love with, with the particular alignment of the Pirulí that so defines that view. It is the Madrid that made us dream at a difficult time and that continues to inspire us every day.
And with the new giants that are announced, who knows? Maybe Madrid, the city where we were born, will give us the inspiration to become the first city with two different interpretations in the Skyline City collection. Time and its sky will tell.
Take the Essence of Madrid with You
That skyline, that memory of a clear sky and a city full of promise, can be yours. Discover our silhouette of Madrid, carved with the same passion that those two architects felt when they saw a photograph that changed their lives.
