Phone inaugurated its new building this Thursday Movistar Space in the emblematic building of the Gran Via Madrid company. The renovation work has allowed to recover part of the historical heritage that the tower hid, such as an old clock – still in full operation – or the original floor. The telephone company carried out the project seeking to recover and enhance its legacy, as well as that of the building itself, which has almost a century of history.
The Espacio Movistar will therefore become a unique meeting point that opens up to the world all the company’s capabilities in the digital age and that connects history and the future in the year of its launch. Centenary.
In this way, all the architectural and historical legacy of this century will coexist on the first two floors of the Gran Vía building with the latest innovations and entertainment, in a complete and avant-garde proposal in which Movistar, Movistar Plus+, Telefónica Tech and TBS participate.
The space, which OKDIARIO was able to visit, houses the largest store in Movistar in Spaina cinema room, a television, two content recording studios, a space for game and the Movistar Café, in addition to connecting directly with the Espacio Telefónica Foundation.
The president of the company, José María Álvarez-Pallete, says: “Espacio Movistar represents a meeting point and an icon for Telefónica and also for the city of Madrid. It was born with the vocation of being the “zero kilometer” of technology, innovation and entertainment. The best of Telefónica coexists in this space open to all, in our usual building, now shown as never before and which we inaugurate with great enthusiasm in the year of our centenary.
Telefónica recovers its heritage
The new facilities are also a recognition of the company’s history and its immense architectural heritageThe first two floors were completely renovated by an in-house team of more than 30 experts and some 600 professionals, in what was the most ambitious renovation to date of this neo-Baroque style building inaugurated in 1929.
THE Telefónica Headquarters90 metres high and with 13 floors, it was Madrid’s first skyscraper and, for a time, the tallest building in Europe.
In this way, the company was able to restore more than 6,000 square meters of coffered ceilings, more than 2,000 square meters of stone surfaces, 220 square meters of original floors and 120 linear meters of railings.
It was also possible to recover the original lampThe atrium clock and the pinnacles of the balustrades, as well as the missing or badly damaged vases at the entrance, were made using 3D printing technology.
The result of these works is a large space of 2,800 square meters in which the originality of the building shines again. Even during the reconstruction works, the signature of the original painter, Agustin Espi Carbonelland his self-portrait, as well as that of other collaborating painters who participated in the original work, dated 1929.
The technology behind the Espacio Movistar
Telefonica TechTelefónica’s digital business company, has developed and implemented all the technological solutions that make Espacio Movistar a unique enclave.
Among them stands out the Immersive Cubecomposed of five four-meter LED faces in which the content will come to life, with surround sound and its own aroma system to offer the visitor a unique sensory journey.
Another of the singularities of Space is the call Fourth facadea 23-metre long and four-metre high LED support composed of four side panels and a central one in which the Centennial Gate is located, the entrance that will connect, in special moments, to the emblematic Map room of the Telefónica Foundation Space.
This is the first time that the two spaces are directly connected to combine technology and culture, heritage and future. The Espacio Fundación Telefónica has established itself, since its creation in 2012, as a leading cultural center in Madrid with more than 6,000 square meters dedicated to culture, art and thought. An ecosystem of knowledge to understand the challenges of the digital world through discussion forums, exhibitions and educational workshops.
The Fourth Facade offers a unique visual experience with dynamic and changing content thanks to the Generative AI to display the most relevant data from inside and outside the Espacio Movistar.
Finally, thanks to video analysis, and always in compliance with confidentiality standards and the GDPR, the technology will also make it possible to profile and analyze visitor behavior (traffic, socio-demographics, routes, interactions, etc.), which brings a value differential to know customers and adapt Space to their needs.
