Beyond the pandemic: Renewed optimism at our Madrid studio

Más allá de la pandemia: optimismo renovado en nuestro estudio de Madrid

As the world begins the process of emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be taking a look at how Chapman Taylor’s international studios are responding to changed outlooks, changed market requirements and changed approaches to how we work as they adjust to the “new normal”. First in the series is our Madrid studio, where work continued on a wide range of Spanish and international projects throughout the pandemic. Madrid Director José Carlos Diez here outlines the sectors which are thriving for the studio and the ways in which the studio’ focus is evolving.

Emerging from the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, and up until February 2021, most members of the Madrid team were working from home, with just a handful of key staff remaining studio-based. The change to remote working was seamless and operated very well, with most of our key projects continuing.

Although we remained active throughout the pandemic, since February 2021, we have experienced a surge in new projects and enquiries internationally and have been extremely busy. Since April, everyone has been back in the studio on at least two days every week, as we see great advantages to bringing people back together in one place, particularly when we are busy.

However, to ensure social distancing, we aren’t yet bringing everyone in on the same days. We expect to be in a position to bring everyone back at the same time by September, or sooner if the speed of the national vaccination programme allows it.

The sectors in which we are busiest

Retail, leisure, office and residential asset enhancement projects have been a prominent part of our work over the past year, with successful projects completed in 2020 at TresAguas in Madrid, Parque Rioja in Logroño and Alcora Plaza in Alcorcón, helping to diversify the existing offers while providing a more exciting visual experience. Our refurbishment of the landmark Los Cubos office building in Madrid also completed in 2020, transforming the working environment for the benefit and wellbeing of its occupants.

This year, we will see the opening of the transformed Parque Corredor in Madrid, for which we provided the concept design, and the new-build Bahia Real Retail Park in Santander. About to begin construction is the much-anticipated, BREEAM Excellent, Breogán Park retail and leisure development in A Coruña, on Spain’s north-west coast, while the mixed-use Cinco District near Lisbon has now acquired building permission. The refurbishment of the Cretéil Soleil shopping centre to the east of Paris is now well advanced on site, as is that of La Marina shopping centre in Alicante, where we are creating new leisure units, F&B and entertainment terraces and an exciting new façade. Other refurbishments include the LR15 residential building in Madrid and a shopping centre in Portugal.

We are engaged on several projects in a range of sectors in the Middle East, including mixed-use developments in Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Among several current projects in Qatar, we are designing the façade for The View Hospital, a new luxury private hospital in Doha. Perhaps our most high-profile project at the moment is our 1.91 million m2 mixed-use masterplan for Airport City in Jeddah, which will be an exciting and sustainable gateway development in a strategic position beside the city’s international airport. We are also involved with another large, mixed-use development in the country.

We have also been designing large mixed-use schemes in Hungary, Greece, Ibiza, Colombia, Mexico and Georgia, among other international locations, while we have also been collaborating with our colleagues in Shanghai on a mixed-use Office park concept in China.

The future direction

As mentioned, we are receiving lots of new project enquiries and we are working on the early stages of several new projects. One interesting area for us is urban regeneration; we are working on the concept stages for two very interesting projects of that type in Madrid, another in Barcelona, as well as an interesting heritage-led urban design for Orihuela, just to mention a few of many. We envisage a lot more urban regeneration work as our urban spaces adapt to new challenges, particularly in terms of rethinking our town and city centres.

We are also working on transport-orientated developments internationally, including the aforementioned Airport City in Jeddah and a transport logistics and warehouse project in southern Spain. Transport-related hubs and mixed-use districts will be a growing sector for us as local authorities and developers increasingly come to recognise what great potential they and their surroundings have for commercial and social development.

Residential work is also a key focus for us, from heritage-sensitive renovations such as the LR15 project mentioned above to residential-led masterplans such as Nuevo Sur in Monterrey, Mexico (where we are also working on La Pera mixed-use masterplan) and student housing in Colombia. Indeed, residential work forms the largest income generator for the Madrid studio in terms of the sectors in which we work, at more than 40%.

Retail asset enhancement will remain an important sector as shopping centres and other retail schemes continue to diversify and to rethink the experiences they provide, with more leisure, entertainment, office and other uses included. We are seeing fewer and fewer new retail-dominated developments, with a much greater emphasis now on a sustainable and vibrant mix of uses.

A dynamic and growing studio

We have a young and dynamic team in Madrid, and we are now a well-established presence in the Spanish market, but we are determined to continue to raise the quality of our architectural and design work as well as to strengthen the team through recruitment, mentoring and ongoing training. We also want to collaborate more with our international colleagues, to build on the successful collaborations we have already enjoyed with Chapman Taylor’s studios in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and China. This aspect – being able to combine our experience in local presence and knowledge with a major international network and its great pool of resources – is a crucial part of our appeal to our clients.

Our aim is to become a key go-to name in several sectors of the Spanish market, particularly mixed-use, residential, urban design, office and transportation, while consolidating our reputation in the retail-led sector and exploring possibilities for new formats for our studio, such as modular construction, co-working, co-living, student housing and Build-to-Rent. Our international work, adaptability, creativity and ability to offer a full service, from feasibility to delivery in a wide range of sectors, means that we are well-placed to thrive in the post-pandemic environment.

A medida que el mundo comienza el proceso de emerger de la pandemia de COVID-19 observaremos cómo los estudios internacionales de Chapman Taylor están respondiendo a las perspectivas cambiantes, adaptándonos a las necesidades del mercado y flexibilizando los enfoques sobre cómo trabajamos a medida que se ajustan a la “nueva normalidad". El primero de la serie es nuestro estudio de Madrid donde se continuó trabajando en una amplia gama de proyectos españoles e internacionales a lo largo de la pandemia. El director de Madrid, José Carlos Diez, describe aquí los sectores que están prosperando para el estudio y las formas en que el enfoque del estudio está evolucionando.

Emerging from the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, and up until February 2021, most members of the Madrid team were working from home, with just a handful of key staff remaining studio-based. The change to remote working was seamless and operated very well, with most of our key projects continuing.

Although we remained active throughout the pandemic, since February 2021, we have experienced a surge in new projects and enquiries internationally and have been extremely busy. Since April, everyone has been back in the studio on at least two days every week, as we see great advantages to bringing people back together in one place, particularly when we are busy.

Emergiendo de la pandemia

Durante la pandemia COVID-19 y hasta febrero de 2021 la mayoría de los miembros del equipo de Madrid trabajaban desde casa y solo algunos de su personal prioritario permanecieron en el estudio. El cambio al trabajo remoto fue fluido, funcionó muy bien y la mayoría de nuestros proyectos clave continuaron.

Aunque nos mantuvimos activos durante la pandemia, desde febrero de 2021, hemos experimentado un aumento en nuevos proyectos y consultas a nivel internacional y hemos estado extremadamente ocupados. Desde abril, todos han vuelto al estudio al menos dos días a la semana pues vemos grandes ventajas, especialmente anímicas y morales, al reunir de nuevo a las personas en el estudio junto a sus compañeros, especialmente cuando estamos ocupados.

Airport City Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Distrito Aeroportuario de Jeddha, Arabia Saudí

Emerging from the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, and up until February 2021, most members of the Madrid team were working from home, with just a handful of key staff remaining studio-based. The change to remote working was seamless and operated very well, with most of our key projects continuing.

Although we remained active throughout the pandemic, since February 2021, we have experienced a surge in new projects and enquiries internationally and have been extremely busy. Since April, everyone has been back in the studio on at least two days every week, as we see great advantages to bringing people back together in one place, particularly when we are busy.

However, to ensure social distancing, we aren’t yet bringing everyone in on the same days. We expect to be in a position to bring everyone back at the same time by September, or sooner if the speed of the national vaccination programme allows it.

Sin embargo, para garantizar el distanciamiento social todavía no estamos turnando para cumplir con las normas de aforo y protección sanitaria. Esperamos estar en condiciones de traer a todos de regreso al mismo tiempo en septiembre, o antes si la velocidad del programa nacional de vacunación lo permite.

Durante la pandemia también fuimos muy activos en otros aspectos. Hay compañeros que han dado conferencias varias, incluso internacionales, sobre temas importantes para el mundo post-pandémico como por ejemplo sobre La Sostenibilidad, La Regeneración “Urba-Humana”, El Futuro "Humano" de las Ciudades y tendencias inversoras clave como son el Co-living, Build-to-Rent, o la Industrialización (particularmente sobre nuestro concepto Umbrellahaus) o el El futuro de las Oficinas. Ya hemos empezado a atender eventos en persona además de producir y compartir contenido de investigación y liderazgo intelectual.

LR15 residential building in Madrid

LR15 rehabilitación exclusiva residencial en Madrid

The sectors in which we are busiest

Retail, leisure, office and residential asset enhancement projects have been a prominent part of our work over the past year, with successful projects completed in 2020 at TresAguas in Madrid, Parque Rioja in Logroño and Alcora Plaza in Alcorcón, helping to diversify the existing offers while providing a more exciting visual experience. Our refurbishment of the landmark Los Cubos office building in Madrid also completed in 2020, transforming the working environment for the benefit and wellbeing of its occupants.

This year, we will see the opening of the transformed Parque Corredor in Madrid, for which we provided the concept design, and the new-build Bahia Real Retail Park in Santander. About to begin construction is the much-anticipated, BREEAM Excellent, Breogán Park retail and leisure development in A Coruña, on Spain’s north-west coast, while the mixed-use Cinco District near Lisbon has now acquired building permission. The refurbishment of the Cretéil Soleil shopping centre to the east of Paris is now well advanced on site, as is that of La Marina shopping centre in Alicante, where we are creating new leisure units, F&B and entertainment terraces and an exciting new façade. Other refurbishments include the LR15 residential building in Madrid and a shopping centre in Portugal.

Los sectores en los que estamos más ocupados

Los proyectos de rehabilitación y reposición de activos comerciales, ocio, oficinas y residenciales han sido una parte destacada de nuestro trabajo durante el último año con proyectos exitosos completados en 2020 en TresAguas en Madrid, Parque Rioja en Logroño y Alcora Plaza en Alcorcón, ayudando a diversificar las ofertas existentes. Al mismo tiempo que diseñamos y proporcionamos una experiencia visual más emocionante. Nuestra remodelación del emblemático edificio de oficinas de Los Cubos en Madrid también se completó en 2020 transformando el entorno de trabajo en beneficio y bienestar de sus ocupantes.

Este año vimos recientemente la inauguración del Parque Corredor en Madrid y para cuyo proyecto aportamos el diseño conceptual pero también para el Parque Comercial Bahía Real de nueva construcción en Santander. A punto de comenzar la construcción está el innovador y recién nombrado BREEAM Excellent Breogán Park en A Coruña, en la costa noroeste de España; mientras que con el Distrito Cinco de uso mixto cerca de Lisboa ya hemos obtenido el permiso de construcción. La remodelación del centro comercial Cretéil Soleil al este de París ya muestra construcción muy avanzada al igual que la del centro comercial La Marina en Alicante, donde estamos creando nuevas unidades de ocio, terrazas de F&B y entretenimiento así como una nueva y emocionante fachada. Otras reformas singulares y exclusivas las realizamos en el prestigioso edificio de Viviendas LR15 en Madrid y un nuevo proyecto comercial en Portugal.

Los Cubos, Madrid

ciWe are engaged on several projects in a range of sectors in the Middle East, including mixed-use developments in Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Among several current projects in Qatar, we are designing the façade for The View Hospital, a new luxury private hospital in Doha. Perhaps our most high-profile project at the moment is our 1.91 million m2 mixed-use masterplan for Airport City in Jeddah, which will be an exciting and sustainable gateway development in a strategic position beside the city’s international airport. We are also involved with another large, mixed-use development in the country.

We have also been designing large mixed-use schemes in Hungary, Greece, Ibiza, Colombia, Mexico and Georgia, among other international locations, while we have also been collaborating with our colleagues in Shanghai on a mixed-use Office park concept in China.

Estamos asimismo involucrados en varios proyectos en distintos sectores en el Medio Oriente, incluidos los desarrollos de uso mixto en Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi y Arabia Saudita. Entre varios proyectos en curso en Qatar, estamos diseñando la fachada de The View Hospital, un nuevo hospital privado de lujo en Doha. Quizás nuestro proyecto más destacado en este momento es nuestro plan maestro de uso mixto de 1,91 millones de m2 para Airport City en Jeddah, que será un desarrollo de puerta de entrada único y sostenible en una posición estratégica junto al aeropuerto internacional de la ciudad. También estamos comenzando otro gran desarrollo de uso mixto en el país, aún confidencial.

Otros proyectos de usos mixtos y regeneración urbana los realizamos actualmente en Hungría, Grecia, Ibiza, Colombia, México y Georgia, entre otras ubicaciones internacionales, mientras que también hemos estado colaborando con nuestros colegas en Shanghái en un concepto de parque de oficinas de uso mixto en China.

Cinco District near Lisbon

Cinco Distrito cerca de Lisboa

The future direction

As mentioned, we are receiving lots of new project enquiries and we are working on the early stages of several new projects. One interesting area for us is urban regeneration; we are working on the concept stages for two very interesting projects of that type in Madrid, another in Barcelona, as well as an interesting heritage-led urban design for Orihuela, just to mention a few of many. We envisage a lot more urban regeneration work as our urban spaces adapt to new challenges, particularly in terms of rethinking our town and city centres.

We are also working on transport-orientated developments internationally, including the aforementioned Airport City in Jeddah and a transport logistics and warehouse project in southern Spain. Transport-related hubs and mixed-use districts will be a growing sector for us as local authorities and developers increasingly come to recognise what great potential they and their surroundings have for commercial and social development.

El camino al futuro

Como hemos mencionado estamos trabajando en las primeras etapas de varios proyectos nuevos. Un área interesante para nosotros es la regeneración urbana ya que, como urbanistas, estamos trabajando en las etapas conceptuales de dos proyectos muy interesantes de ese tipo en Madrid, Barcelona y otros lugares de España así como el proyecto de rehabilitación urbana y patrimonial realizado en la bella ciudad de Orihuela, solo por mencionar algunos de muchos. Prevemos mucho más trabajo de regeneración urbana a medida que nuestros espacios urbanos se adaptan a los nuevos desafíos, particularmente en términos de repensar nuestros pueblos y centros de ciudades.

También estamos trabajando en desarrollos orientados al transporte a nivel internacional incluida la mencionada Airport City en Jeddah y un proyecto de logística de transporte y almacén en el sur de España. Los proyectos relacionados con el transporte (TODs) y los distritos de uso mixto serán un sector en crecimiento para nosotros a medida que las autoridades locales y los desarrolladores reconozcan cada vez más el gran potencial que tienen ellos y sus alrededores para el desarrollo sostenible de sus sociedades.

The View Hospital, Doha

Residential work is also a key focus for us, from heritage-sensitive renovations such as the LR15 project mentioned above to residential-led masterplans such as Nuevo Sur in Monterrey, Mexico (where we are also working on La Pera mixed-use masterplan) and student housing in Colombia. Indeed, residential work forms the largest income generator for the Madrid studio in terms of the sectors in which we work, at more than 40%.

Retail asset enhancement will remain an important sector as shopping centres and other retail schemes continue to diversify and to rethink the experiences they provide, with more leisure, entertainment, office and other uses included. We are seeing fewer and fewer new retail-dominated developments, with a much greater emphasis now on a sustainable and vibrant mix of uses.

Los proyectos residenciales también es un enfoque clave para nosotros, desde renovaciones sensibles al patrimonio como el proyecto LR15 mencionado anteriormente hasta planes maestros dirigidos al sector vivienda como son Nuevo Sur en Monterrey, México (donde también estamos trabajando en el plan maestro de uso mixto de La Pera) y viviendas para estudiantes en Colombia. Actualmente el sector residencial constituye el mayor generador de ingresos para el estudio madrileño en cuanto a los otros sectores inmobiliarios en los que trabajamos, más del 40%.

La mejora de los activos comerciales y de ocio sigue siendo un sector importante a medida que éstos continúen diversificándose y replanteándose las experiencias que brindan, con más ocio, entretenimiento, oficinas, seguridad, sostenibilidad y otros factores relevantes. Estamos observando cada vez menos desarrollos nuevos dominados por el un solo uso, con un énfasis mucho mayor ahora en una combinación de usos mixtos, sostenibles y eficientes.

Orihuela

Rehabilitación urbana y patrimonial en Orihuela

A dynamic and growing studio

We have a young and dynamic team in Madrid, and we are now a well-established presence in the Spanish market, but we are determined to continue to raise the quality of our architectural and design work as well as to strengthen the team through recruitment, mentoring and ongoing training. We also want to collaborate more with our international colleagues, to build on the successful collaborations we have already enjoyed with Chapman Taylor’s studios in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and China. This aspect – being able to combine our experience in local presence and knowledge with a major international network and its great pool of resources – is a crucial part of our appeal to our clients.

Our aim is to become a key go-to name in several sectors of the Spanish market, particularly mixed-use, residential, urban design, office and transportation, while consolidating our reputation in the retail-led sector and exploring possibilities for new formats for our studio, such as modular construction, co-working, co-living, student housing and Build-to-Rent. Our international work, adaptability, creativity and ability to offer a full service, from feasibility to delivery in a wide range of sectors, means that we are well-placed to thrive in the post-pandemic environment.

Un estudio dinámico y en crecimiento

Formamos un equipo joven y dinámico en Madrid y ahora tenemos una presencia consolidada en el mercado español tras casi 30 años en el mismo pero estamos decididos a seguir elevando la calidad de nuestro trabajo en arquitectura, urbanismo y diseño así como a fortalecer el equipo a través de la contratación, tutoría y formación continua. También colaboramos más con nuestros colegas internacionales para aprovechar las colaboraciones exitosas que ya hemos disfrutado con los estudios de Chapman Taylor en el Reino Unido, Europa, Oriente Medio y China. Este aspecto es crucial para todos: el poder combinar nuestro “expertise” conjugando la presencia y el conocimiento local junto a una importante red internacional y su gran amplitud de recursos humanos y técnicos. Esto es una garantía de éxito para nuestros clientes.

Nuestro objetivo seguir siendo el estudio de referencia profesional y humana clave en varios sectores del mercado español, en particular, de uso mixto, residencial, diseño urbano, oficinas y transporte, al tiempo que consolidamos nuestra reputación en el sector comercial y exploramos posibilidades de nuevos formatos para nuestro estudio, como la construcción modular, coworking, co-living, vivienda para estudiantes y Build-to-Rent. Nuestro trabajo internacional, adaptabilidad, creatividad y capacidad para ofrecer un servicio completo, desde la viabilidad hasta la entrega en una amplia gama de sectores, significa que estamos en una buena posición para prosperar en el entorno post-pandémico.

TresAguas in Madrid

TresAguas en Madrid | Xperience Parque Rioja, Logroño, España

José Carlos Díez (ETSAM COAM)

Director, 马德里

José Carlos joined Chapman Taylor in 2000, was promoted to Associate Director in 2006 and has been a Director since 2015.

He is responsible for directing projects in Spain and managing our internal procedures and standards including the supervision of our IT systems.

José Carlos is an architect with over 20 years’ experience designing and managing all phases of the design and building construction process.

Areas of expertise:

Retail / Masterplanning / Residential / Hospitality / Asset Enhancement

Jose Caros Diez entró a formar parte de la oficina de Madrid de Chapman Taylor en 2000, fue ascendido a Director Asociado en 2006 y ostenta el cargo de Director desde 2015. Carlos es responsable de los proyectos en España y dirige y coordina los esfuerzos del equipo de procedimientos interno siendo el responsable de asegurar que todos los estándares internos se apliquen debidamente en la administración y gestión de cada uno de los proyectos que se desarrollan en la oficina de Madrid.

El Sr. Díez es un profesional con más de 20 años de experiencia en el diseño y la construcción de proyectos a gran escala en todas las fases de proyecto.


Áreas de especialización:

Comercial / Planes Directores / Residencial / Hoteles / Rehabilitación


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