Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza, Torres Blancas, Madrid, Spain, 1958-1972. Detail of the southern façade of the building. © Pedro Ibáñez, 2011, Archivo del Servicio Histórico de la Fundación Arquitectura coam.
Torres Blancas, a Vertical Garden City

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52200/65.A.R36XTO0H

Keywords:

Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Modern housing, Post-war housing, Welfare architecture, Mass housing, Madrid modern architecture, Torres Blancas, Francisco Sáenz de Oíza, Experimental architecture, Organic architecture

Abstract

Torres Blancas, the building designed by Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza for the Huarte company, was built between 1964 and 1972. Its powerful sculptural form, the expressive use of bare concrete and its experimental nature make it an iconic example of Madrid’s architecture. Proposed as a vertical city with an organic emphasis, Torres Blancas is not the usual stack of flats, but a residential complex of independent housing units with garden terraces and the amenities of a small community. This building thus combines Le Corbusier’s unités d’habitation and Frank Lloyd Wright’s towers.

How to Cite

Sanz, A. (2021). Torres Blancas, a Vertical Garden City. Docomomo Journal, (65), 108–113. https://doi.org/10.52200/65.A.R36XTO0H

Published

2021-07-01

Issue

No. 65 (2021): Housing for All

Section

Documentation Issues

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Author Biography

Alberto Sanz, Technical University of Madrid

PhD in Architecture and Master in Gardening and Landscape from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, where he teaches. Coordinator of the Historical Service of the Official College of Architects of Madrid (CoAM) and a member of docomomo Iberia, he has taken part in numerous critical projects on architecture.

References

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