MADC & Partners SLP
Building
Cultural
Structural Design
Library of a Thousand Suns
This is the first public library built in the Villaverde neighborhood in Madrid. During the process, an ideas competition was organized, with various projects submitted. The winning design was by MADC & Partners SLP, as it best addressed the landscape, social, and environmental challenges of the surroundings.
The name ‘Thousand Suns’ comes from the fact that, to counteract the shade cast over the plot, many natural light reflectors were introduced. This, combined with the large open wooden spaces, also creates a very special organic feeling.
The total surface area is 2,557 m2. The construction process was largely industrialized, as pre-fabricated pieces were assembled in an agile manner.
The basement and ground floor structure is reinforced concrete with post-tensioned foundation slabs with micropile zones. On the two main floors, the structure is exclusively timber, with the following notable elements:
- Double-height glulam timber frames
- Pieces coupled in parallel forming beams and pillars
- Cross-laminated timber (CLT) boards hung from the roof beams
- The roof is a timber structure supported on the beams.
- Also made of wood are the doors, windows, slats, smooth panels, wood chip panels, and slatted panels.
The combination of post-tensioned slabs and glulam timber beams are what made possible the wide span spaces that the building required. On the other hand, the various applications of timber make the building a reordered or deconstructed forest.
The Library of a Thousand Suns is a paradigmatic construction in the transformation process that the construction industry is undergoing. Timber, as a cultivated material, not only facilitates industrialized ecosystems but also offers a great opportunity on the path toward the decarbonization of the sector.
The project has received the following recognitions:
- 1st Prize in the ideas competition organized by COAM and the Madrid City Council
- Selección como proyecto piloto del proyecto internacional “VISIBLE”
- First municipal building with the GBCe VERDE environmental certification
- AMAD Prize 2024
- MINI Prize Finalist 2025
- MATCOAM Prize 2025
