Temporary Market, Madrid. Spain

During the period of execution of the works of the market, library and gymnasium of Barceló, it was necessary to construct a covered space for the merchants' stalls that were to remain in use until the new facilities were inaugurated.

Located in an existing plaza in the centre of Madrid, on an underground garage, the building evokes in its conception the traditional markets in public squares, made up of independent pavilions that can be grouped in different ways.

The whole is organized into six bodies with a pentagonal plan for the market stalls, with different heights and dimensions that avoid the presence of an excessive volume in relation to the buildings of its surroundings. A longitudinal building of two heights aligned to the back street houses the areas of loading and unloading, warehouses, cold rooms and installations.

The architecture of the pavilions is conceived as a pure exercise of variations and permutations: a pentagonal volume, with two different sizes, repeated three times and rotated at different angles.

The exterior opal polycarbonate enclosure that surrounds the cylindrical bodies allows the passage of natural light during the day, which become large lanterns that illuminate the public space during the night hours. Once the works of the permanent market building were completed, the temporary pavilions were demolished