AZCA, an acronym for ''Asociación Mixta de Compensación de la Manzana A de la Zona Comercial de la Avenida del Generalísimo'' ("Mixed Association for Compensation of the A Block of the Commercial Area of the Avenue of the
Generalisimo
''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used.
Usage
The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus mea ...
", now called the Avenue of
Paseo de la Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana, commonly known as La Castellana, is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cutting across the city from South to North, it has been described as the "true structuring axis" of the city.
History and description
The street ...
), is a
financial district
A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...
in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Spain. The business district, which is located on the northern edge of the city centre, serves as one of the two main financial districts of the Madrid metropolitan area.
History
It is located between the streets Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, Orense, General Perón and Paseo de la Castellana. Its original conception (and its name) dates back to the ''Plan General de Ordenación Urbana de Madrid'' (
PGOU), approved in 1946. The purpose of this plan was to create a huge block of modern office buildings with metro and railway connections in the expansion area of northern Madrid, just in front of Real Madrid stadium (currently named the
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium ( es, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, ) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the second-larg ...
) and beside the new government complex of
Nuevos Ministerios
Nuevos Ministerios () is a government complex in central Madrid, Spain. The complex houses several government departments: Development, Labour, Social Security, and Ecological Transition. It is located in the block delimited by the Paseo de la ...
. A botanical garden, a library and an opera house were also included in the plans, but these were never built.
The construction began in the 1970s after many delays. Nowadays some of the tallest and most beautiful modern Madrid skyscrapers are placed here. The most important are:
*
Torre Picasso
Torre Picasso (Picasso Tower) is a skyscraper in Madrid, Spain designed by Minoru Yamasaki. From 1988 until 2007 it was the tallest building in Madrid, measuring and with 43 floors. Torre Picasso is located next to the Pablo Picasso Square, wi ...
(157 m)
*
Torre Europa (121 m)
*
Banco de Bilbao Tower (107 m)
*
Torre Titania
Torre Titania is the twelfth-tallest skyscraper in Madrid, Spain and has become the country's largest mall.
Construction began in mid-2007, after the burning of the Windsor Tower, which formerly occupied the site. The interior, which houses sto ...
(104 m)
*
Torre Mahou
Edificio Alfredo Mahou (''Alfredo Mahou Building''), also known as Torre Mahou (''Mahou Tower'') is a skyscraper in the AZCA Complex, Madrid, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de Españ ...
(100 m)
In February 2005,
Windsor Tower
The Windsor Tower ( es, Torre Windsor) was an office building in the financial center of Madrid, Spain. Built in 1979, it was high and had 32 floors of which 29 were above ground level and 3 below, thus ranking it as the eighth tallest building ...
(106 m) was destroyed by a fire, and it was later replaced by Torre Titania.
During the weekend nights, the underground levels attract a Latino audience to the discos but they also have a reputation for gang violence.
Que la violencia no vuelva a Azca
', '' El Mundo'', 7 February 2006.
In 2007, a
new skyscraper area was built farther north along
Paseo de la Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana, commonly known as La Castellana, is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cutting across the city from South to North, it has been described as the "true structuring axis" of the city.
History and description
The street ...
.
The carless surfaces inside the block have attracted young supporters of
urban culture
Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. The defining theme is the presence of a great number of very different people in a very limited space - most of them are strangers to each other but still try to be polite to each other more times ...
.
Since the 1980s,
break dance
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...
rs,
rappers
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
,
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboarde ...
ers,
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
writers and
parkour
Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...
traceurs from other Madrid neighborhoods have been gathering there.
See also
*
Plaza de Pablo Ruiz Picasso
References
External links
Photos of AZCA Satellite AZCA view from Google Earth*
'. A description.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azca
Buildings and structures in Tetuán District, Madrid
AZCA, Madrid
Skyscraper office buildings in Madrid
Cuatro Caminos neighborhood, Madrid