Nuevos Ministerios, a massive government complex at the heart of Madrid, was originally designed with brick façades, later encased in granite under Franco’s regime to project power and permanence. Our project aims to transform this rigid, imposing structure into a vibrant urban hub—a green space for both pollinators and people, reshaping the urban fabric of the city. By dismantling the granite cladding and reassembling it as a freestanding wall, we seek to break down these physical and symbolic barriers, creating a porous structure that invites life back into the urban landscape. Over time, this wall will become a “living ruin,” gradually colonized by plants, embracing decay as a form of rebirth and transformation. This first step towards a more open and connected architecture sets the stage for a future green axis—an alternative to the Castellana—where nature and the built environment seamlessly intersect.
