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Christian Dobrick

The masterplan for a 120-hectare site of a reclaimed river

bank and a new urban area in the Spanish capital is based

on a trilogy of key areas that provide the basic structure:

a riverwalk, a large park and a project to rebuild an urban

ensemble.The interventions are to restore the urban fabric.

Madrid RioLandscape architecture

as a political means

S.028-035_Dobrick_M02.f.6er.qxd 15.12.2010 13:38 Uhr Seite 28

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The paving pattern of the reconstructed Plataforma del Rey (left) and of the

Avendia de Portugal (right) reminds of cherry blossom petals. 700 cherry

trees grow in the raised lawn along the avenue, which was opened in 2007.


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The Salon de Pinos comprises vibrant boulevards on both sides of the River

Manzanares and is the backbone of the whole project. It opened in 2010 and

now links existing and new urban green spaces.


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A rchitecture is a discipline concerned with concepts and design. As a

field strongly associated with ideological and political goals it often

is the subject of criticism. Many historic examples of Haussmannian

proportions spring to mind. Landscape architecture, in contrast, presents

itself as an innocent profession, immaculate and almost politically neutral.

That is because the profession’s design elements are exclusively associated

with positive aspects of nature. They are not linked with political leanings.

To devise a concept for the mayoral elections of 2003 in Madrid,

Alberto Ruiz Gallardón used his political experience to instigate an infra-

structure development project in Madrid. His ambitious proposals in-

cluded the construction of more than 100 new metro stations, improve-

ments to 43 kilometres of orbital motorway and the development of four

high-rise buildings, which would define the city’s skyline.

His election campaign focused on infrastructure measures to help

strengthen fundamental conditions for a thriving economy, placing the em-

phasis on improvements to housing and the public realm within the city.The

target was to accomplish basic structural renewal for the benefit of future

generations. The citizens supported Gallardón’s plans with an absolute

majority, in spite of the concurrent rise in taxes to finance the projects.

In the time leading up to the financial crisis, the mayor implemented the

six-billion euro infrastructure development as promised within his four-year

term in office. Consequently, parts of the city centre were transformed into a

permanent construction site with traffic congestion reaching almost intoler-

able levels. In the centre, where six kilometres of Madrid’s urban motorway

were to be aligned below ground, a 120-hectare hole was dug close to the old

town. At the end of the legislative period, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón had deliv-

ered his programme,and a large percentage of the population expressed con-

fidence in him.The relationship of cause and effect of the promised interven-

tions with the financial reality and the people’s trust in an individual is

unimaginable in this form in most European countries.

During the construction phase of the tunnel, an international invited

competition for the design of the open space on top of it was launched. The

landscape architects and urban designers West 8 from Rotterdam, in part-

nership with MRIO arquitectos from Madrid, won the competition with

their masterplan design for a reclaimed river bank and a new urban area.

In their design of the riverwalk on top of the tunnel, West 8 and MRIO

arquitectos interpret the vegetation from the mountain region close to Madrid.

Pine was chosen as the dominant species.


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T he competition proposal is based on the 3+30 concept, founded on

the idea that the 120-hectare site is developed in a trilogy of key areas

that provide the basic structure: a riverwalk along the Manzanares, a

large park and a project to rebuild an urban ensemble, which had been sev-

ered by the orbital motorway near the royal palace in Madrid.A series of pub-

lic and private interventions were to restore and enhance the urban fabric.

The sections of the project completed in time for the elections in 2007,

Avenida de Portugal, Huerta de la Partida and a part of the Salon de Pinos

riverwalk covered only five percent of the total site area. At the official

opening of Avenida de Portugal, the mayor explained his aspiration for a

concurrent development of the economy and amenity value, using the ex-

ample of the new green open space on the roof of a four-lane motorway

and an underground car park for 1,000 cars.

After his re-election the mayor decided that all of the competition pro-

posals should be realised within his second term in office, and he allocated a

total budget of 280 million euros. Again, the project was to be financed with

a loan from the municipality and repaid by the citizens over 30 years.Accord-

ing to Gallardón, investment in open space would repay in the long-term

through improvements to the quality of the urban environment. He deliber-

ately avoided building development on the site to help refinance the project.

The design phase of the 47 sub-projects coincided with the onset of the

financial crisis, which hit Spain’s construction sector particularly hard. The

80 hectares of land above the tunnel were covered with a thin layer of soil

and left a visible scar within the city. At the time when the parks, boule-

vards and plazas were scheduled for construction, the crisis reached its

peak. Implementation was cast into doubt due to the slump in income

from public finances and the suspension of building projects.

To honour the promise that the open spaces along the river should be

completed before the elections in the spring of 2011, the city decided to

use grants from the so-called Plan E, the national programme for subsi-

dising the economy, to implement the work. This decision meant that con-

struction could continue without delay and the architects were confront-

ed with even tighter time schedules. Projects had to be subdivided into

smaller sections to meet the criteria of the grants, which were specifically

aimed to help medium-sized construction companies.

The interiors of the dome-like structures of the two parallel bridges “Puentes

cascara” are clad in a mosaic by the Spanish artist Daniel Canogar.The mosaic

patterns show people of the neighbourhood.


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The “Puentes Cascara” connect the Salon the Pinos with the Parque de la

Arganzuela. Lighting along the edge of the rough concrete dome illuminates

the artwork and the deck by reflection.


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MADRID RIO, MADRID, SPAIN

Client: Madrid City Government

Landscape architects: West 8 urban design & landscape architecture and MRIO arquitectos

Competition: 2005

Design: 2006 – 2010

Construction: 2007 – 2011

Area: 80 hectares

Costs: 280 million Euros

The plan highlights the Arganzuela Park on the northern bank of the river.The park is the

largest section of the project covering 40 hectares.The river gardens near the Puente de

Toledo in the west are currently under construction.


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S alon de Pinos was opened in 2010. It is the project’s backbone, de-

signed as a linear open space along the River Manzanares, which

links existing and new urban green spaces. The theme for almost

the entire area of the tunnel cover is the vegetation from the mountain

region close to Madrid. Pine was chosen as the dominant species and 8,000

specimens of this resilient tree which thrives on were rock planted. The

choreography of tree planting, using a pallet of pruned and shaped spec-

imens as well as mixed and sloped planting, lent the site a natural and

sculptural character, and created a botanical monument.

Recently completed bridges link the Salon with the site of the pro-

posed Arganzuela Park. In contrast to other footbridges, the two paral-

lel bridges “Puentes cascara” provide a shady space above the cool waters

of the river, and they offer views to the city. The bridges are shaped like

rough concrete domes with more than 100 thin steel cables supporting

their decks. The filigree detailing of the interior is only visible on the in-

side. The dome-like superstructures are clad in a mosaic by the Spanish

artist Daniel Canogar. The bridges are more than a part of the infrastruc-

ture – they are design elements in the park.

Water is the theme of Arganzuela Park, which will constitute the largest

section of the project covering 40 hectares. In contrast to the canalised riv-

er flowing deep and unreachable in its engineered bed, the park takes up

the different moods of the landscapes on the Manzanares and lets visitors

experience the element water. A system of streams flows through the park,

and the topography is used to define spaces of different characters at their

junctions. Each stream has a different character: “Rio seco”, for example,

is an interpretation of dry riverbeds in the Spanish landscape, where the

presence of water can be felt in all seasons. Numerous plant species help

to structure the space and evoke different moods.

The last sections to be implemented are the hedge gardens near the

historic Toledo Bridge, Arganzuela Park and Virgen del Puerto in the

north. The contract programme will end with their punctual opening in

April 2011, immediately before the mayor’s elections. This begs the ques-

tion of what the voters might think of the politics of construction in

these crisis-ridden times and how future generations will perceive the

implemented measures.


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