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The construction of the Colón Towers in Madrid attracted attention by reversing the traditional logic of skyscrapers, erecting two suspended buildings from top to bottom and creating an architectural landmark with prestressed concrete, steel cables, and 21 suspended floors
The construction of the Colón Towers transformed a small and irregular plot in the center of Madrid into the stage for one of the most unusual works of Spanish architecture. Conceived by Antonio Lamela, the project created two towers erected from top to bottom, in a solution that deviated from usual systems and allowed the erection of a complex with 116 meters in height, 23 floors above ground, and six underground levels.
What makes this work so striking is that the upper floors do not rest on the lower ones, as happens in conventional buildings. In the Colón Towers, the floors were suspended from a central structure and lateral supports, in a solution based on suspended architecture, high-strength prestressed concrete, and steel cables. The result was a project that intrigued those who followed the construction, altered the urban landscape of Madrid, and became a reference for the boldness of the engineering involved.
What made the construction of the Colón Towers so different
The Colón Towers emerged from a practical limitation that ended up paving the way for a radical solution. The plot of 1,710 square meters was irregular and small for the building’s size, while municipal legislation required many parking spaces. This forced Antonio Lamela’s team to think of a construction that occupied little space in the foundations.
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It was in this context that the idea arose to erect not a single tower, but two independent towers, connected by a base, instead of concentrating all the mass in a single volume. According to the architect and his team’s assessment, a single tower would have a negative impact on the urban landscape by introducing an element of excessive proportions in the city center.
How the top-down construction worked
The logic of the work started from a narrow central core, on which the suspension platform was placed, described as a large concrete head. From this upper structure, the floors were executed from top to bottom, in a method that reversed the traditional order of skyscraper construction.
In this system, part of the weight of the floors was supported by the central pillar and the rest by the lateral supports. The pressure from the platform was transmitted by these supports with the help of the tension of the steel cables, compressing the floors against the central support. It was this combination that allowed the floors to be sustained without the upper ones resting on the lower ones, reinforcing the reputation of the building as “upside down”.
The numbers that explain the scale of the project in Madrid
The Torres Colón gather numbers that help to understand the scale of the work. The complex is 116 meters high, with 23 floors above ground and six below street level, in addition to featuring 21 suspended floors that transfer their load to the superstructure and then to the central core down to the foundation.
Beyond its height, the project stood out for the complexity of its structural system. Instead of following the more common model of steel-based suspended buildings, the work was conceived entirely in reinforced concrete and high-strength prestressed concrete, with slabs supported around the entire perimeter by external tie rods. This placed the construction at an uncommon technical level for its time.
Why the engineering of Torres Colón attracted so much attention
The work attracted attention because it had to respond to an urban, structural, and functional problem simultaneously. The building needed to adapt to the terrain, meet municipal requirements, and still maintain a strong verticality in the center of Madrid. The solution found was not only functional but also symbolic, as the towers became an icon precisely because they seemed to defy the traditional logic of engineering.
The impact was such that, according to the presented report, Torres Colón was considered the “most technologically advanced building under construction until 1975” at the World Congress of Architecture and Public Works. This helps explain why the project is remembered as a pioneering experience in suspended architecture, even in a scenario where suspended structures already existed, especially in bridges.
The work underwent interruption, change of use, and aesthetic transformations
The construction of Torres Colón began in 1967 but was interrupted in 1970 by the Madrid City Council for reasons described by the architect as linked to political interests. The impasse led to legal proceedings and compensation payments, paving the way for a significant change in the building’s destiny.
Initially conceived to house luxury residences, the project was repurposed for office use. The work was resumed and completed in 1976, already in a different context from what was initially imagined. Also during this process, the development changed its name, from Torres de Jerez to Torres Colón as construction progressed in the early 1970s under the responsibility of the construction company Osinalde.
What practically changed with the facade and the building’s famous crown
As the work progressed, the original aesthetics also underwent changes. The construction company adopted a glazed external cladding to avoid plastering, creating a double layer that improved the building’s habitability, thermal and acoustic performance, and energy control.
Another striking element was the ornamental structure at the top, popularly known as “the cork”. Although it became one of the most recognizable images of Torres Colón, it served a function related to the suspension of a later fire escape and evacuation walkways required by municipal regulations in the late 1980s. What was presented as a temporary solution ended up remaining for decades and, according to Carlos Lamela, began to distort the original vision of Antonio Lamela.
An old promise that still leaves the future open
Even decades after the completion of the work, the building remains surrounded by discussions about renovation. Antonio Lamela left a last wish for a possible future intervention, in a posthumous project that has approval from the Madrid City Council, but still has no defined date to materialize.
This uncertainty keeps open a new chapter for a building that was already born out of the ordinary. The Torres Colón continue to attract attention not only for the inverted construction but also for carrying a history of interruptions, changes in use, aesthetic adaptations, and debates on how to preserve or recover the original conception.
Why the Torres Colón remain a symbol of architectural boldness
The Torres Colón are not remembered just for their height or their central location in Madrid. What keeps them relevant is the way they managed to transform a problem of land, legislation, and urban design into one of the most unusual structural solutions of their time.
By combining top-down construction, prestressed concrete, external tie rods, and a suspended configuration for two buildings, the project surpassed the condition of a curious work and became an architectural reference.
The influence of Antonio Lamela on other names in architecture, such as Norman Foster, further reinforces the historical significance of a work that continues to spark curiosity almost half a century after its completion.
Would you have the courage to live or work in a building constructed from top to bottom like the Torres Colón?
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