Madrid: Renovating the industry

This architecture tour in Madrid invites you to explore how the city has reimagined its industrial past, transforming former factories, military compounds, and production sites into vibrant cultural spaces. The experience begins at Matadero Madrid, once the city’s slaughterhouse and livestock market, now a major creative hub preserving its robust industrial character. From there, the route continues to the Regional Archive and Regional Library, formerly the El Aguila Beer Factory, an impressive neo-Mudejar complex whose towering metal silos still define the area. You will also uncover the Daoiz and Velarde Cultural Center, an innovative intervention within a late nineteenth-century military complex near Atocha station. As the journey progresses to CaixaForum, built over the former Mediodia Power Plant, you will witness how cutting edge architecture blends with remnants of Madrid’s industrial heritage.