(Edificio Generali)
Dirección completa: C Alcala 21, C Virgen de los Peligros 1
Barrio de Sol
Distrito de Centro
Madrid
Año de construcción: 1932
Arquitectos: Bona Puig, Eusebio Mosteiro Canas, Luis Población Knappe, Eleuterio
Tipología: Arquitectura administrativa
Etiquetas: MALLAS, FORMA CERRADA, ESTEREOTOMIA, JERARQUIA, ENVOLVENTES,
GEOMETRIA, CONTEXTUALIZACION
Enlaces de interés : Arquitectura de Madrid
Nombre del autor de la entrada: Magdalena Pušić
A corner building resolves by combining the solution of stepped skyscrapers and a forceful monumentalist character presents a closed-form, monumental composition with strong symmetry and hierarchy. Facades are articulated as stacked, rectilinear volumes that step back as they rise, echoing an skyscraper typology. The massing is heavy and stereotomic, with a solid, stone-like, expression. Vertical piers and repetitive window bays reinforce a geometric order on each face, creating a rigorous proportional grid. It features the sculpture of a lion, symbol of Generali, above the entrance hall, and another sculpture of a female figure on the façade, both attributed to Miguel Blay y Fàbrega. The woman looks at the horizon and, in addition to protecting her own eyes from the sun – it is oriented to the southeast so that the morning sun shines directly on it – she also protects the naked child at her feet.Vertically, the building reads as a series of stacked prisms. Each successive tier is slightly set back or reduced in footprint, so the tower appears to taper toward the top while retaining a central locus at the chamfered corner. It makes pyramid-like hierarchy – large at bottom, smaller above. The façades use vertical lines to articulate each story, reinforcing the hierarchical stacking. The regular repetition of pilasters and windows on each level produces a unifying pattern (integration by repetition) that ties the whole composition together. In summary, the building’s vertical development is a classic geometric stack: strong base, prominent middle stories, and gradually diminishing upper floors, all symmetrically ordered around the corner axis. The chamfer brings the two street faces into unity.
