Issue date: 13 Oct, 2020
UPAEP. Architecture. Skyline Madrid
Since 1989, each one of the postal operators belonging to The Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (PUASP) has been issuing a stamp based on a common theme annually. This year the chosen theme is architecture. Correos has chosen to issue a miniature sheet consisting of six stamps that are dedicated to the skyscrapers that make up Madrid’s most current skyline, the cut-out image of the Spanish capital’s outline in the sky, which is defined by towers and skyscrapers that can be observed from each and every corner of the city.
The skyscrapers belong to the area known as the Cuatro Torres Business Area (CTBA),, a business park neighbouring the Paseo de la Castellana, built between 2004 and 2009.
The Cepsa tower in the foreground of the mini sheet is also known as the Foster Tower, notably after the architect who designed it: Norman Foster. At 248.3 metres tall and comprising 49 floors, it is the second highest building in Spain. Its structure is made from concrete and steel, clad with steel plates on the perimeter that supports and encompasses the offices area, which is in turn glass-coated.
The skyscraper behind on the left is known as the PWC tower, comprising 52 floors and 236 metres tall. The PWC tower is signed by the Spanish architects Carlos Rubio Carvajal and Enrique Álvarez-Sala Walther. The construction is similar to that of a equilateral triangle with curved sides. At present, it houses the Hotel EuroStarts Madrid Tower and the consulting firm PwC.
The third skyscraper that can be seen on the mini sheet is the Torre Espacio, otherwise known as the Space Tower, designed by Leoh Ming Pei and Henry N. Cobb. Its structure is erected on a quadrangular ground plan which gradually transforms into a similar shape to the intersection of the sine and cosene functions. In this way, the facade becomes dynamic and the building’s profile looks different from every part of the city. The building mainly houses offices, except for the 33rd floor, where a Catholic chapel of confession can also be found.
Hidden behind the Cepsa tower, you will find the fourth skyscraper, the Torre de Cristal, a glass tower, designed by the architect Cesar Pelli.
In the future a fifth skyscraper will be added to complex, namely the Torre Caleido. The tower is currently under construction and is set to reach a height of 181 metres.
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