Edificio Celosía

Rising above us is the Edificio Celosía, a unique apartment building in Madrid’s Sanchinarro district. It’s not your typical block of flats. The Edificio Celosía is a fascinating blend of innovative design and social housing. Designed by architect Blanca Lleó and the Dutch firm MVRDV, its name, “Celosía,” meaning lattice, perfectly captures its distinct appearance. The building is a composition of 30 solid volumes, housing 146 apartments, interspersed with 30 open spaces. This creates a checkerboard pattern of solids and voids, giving the Edificio Celosía its lattice-like facade. Built between 2001 and 2008, the Edificio Celosía project cost 12.6 million euros. It was a project of the Empresa Municipal de Vivienda y Suelo (EMVS), Madrid’s public housing corporation. The apartments range from one to three bedrooms. Thanks to the open spaces, all apartments have at least two exterior walls, and some even have three. This design maximizes natural light and ventilation. The open areas serve as communal spaces for residents, fostering a sense of community. They also offer views across the building and towards the city and mountains. The Edificio Celosía isn’t just aesthetically unique. It’s also designed with sustainability in mind. The construction used a mold system for a faster, more sustainable process. This system also allowed flexibility in the size and layout of the apartments. The shimmering façade is made of coated concrete, reflecting the changing light throughout the day. The Edificio Celosía stands as a testament to how innovative design can be applied to social housing, creating a beautiful, functional, and sustainable living space.