Concrete curves: we take in the charms of an under-construction museum in Spain

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The Museum of Automotion La Torre was designed by architects Emilio Tuñón and Luis M Mansilla
(Image credit: press)

Slotted on a plot between two busy motorways on the outskirts of Madrid, the upcoming Museum of Automotion La Torre could not be more suitably placed. Designed by architects Emilio Tuñón and Luis M Mansilla – and carried out by Emilio Tuñón Architects after Mansilla’s untimely passing in 2012 – the new museum is a celebration of all things automotive.

Its round volume, currently seen in sculptural rough concrete, will eventually be clad in metal from recycled car parts, in a nod to its contents. The circular shape, on the other hand, is not only the result of the site’s boundary restrictions, explain the architects. Through its volume, they also sought to reference historical entertainment building typologies, tapping into well-known forms such as Roman arenas and the Colosseum.

The introverted floorplan appears closed off from the outside; but inside, displays on various levels will unfold to transport visitors to different points in the motor industry’s past, present and future.

It has been a busy few years for Emilio Tuñón Architects. Their powerfully designed, graphic white building for the Royal Collections Museum in Madrid, on La Almudena Square, has now also reached completion. This important cultural space for the Spanish capital is gearing up for an official public opening later in the year.

Final completion for the Museum of Automotion La Torre is currently estimated for 2018. In the meantime, the striking raw concrete space served as the ideal home for an 'Ahead of the Curve' fashion shoot, in our June 2016 issue (W*207). 

’Ahead of the Curve’ fashion shoot

(Image credit: Jan Lehner)

Its round volume, currently seen in sculptural rough concrete (as in our June issue ’Ahead of the Curve’ fashion shoot, pictured here), will eventually be clad in metal from recycled car parts, in a nod to its contents. 

Designed, graphic white building for the Royal Collections Museum in Madrid

(Image credit: press)

It has been a busy few years for Emilio Tuñón Architects. Their powerfully designed, graphic white building for the Royal Collections Museum in Madrid, on La Almudena Square, has now also reached completion

The charms of an under-construction museum in Spain

(Image credit: Jan Lehner)

The introverted floorplan appears closed off from the outside; but inside, displays on various levels will unfold to transport visitors to different points in the motor industry’s past, present and future.

Black and white image

(Image credit: TBC)

The circular shape is not only the result of the site’s boundary restrictions, explain the architects. Through its volume, they also sought to reference historical entertainment building typologies

Concrete curves: we take in the charms of an under-construction museum in Spain

(Image credit: Jan Lehner)

Final completion is estimated for 2018. 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Emilio Tuñón Architects’ website

Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).