CAIXAFORUM MADRID

As significant for its architecturally stunning exterior as it is for its interior function as postmodern art gallery and cultural centre, CaixaForum Madrid, designed by Swiss star architects Herzog & de Meuron and financed by the Catalan banking giant, blends the industrial and the natural seamlessly in amongst Madrid’s old town. The rusted steel upper layers of the original power plant contrast against the verdant green horizontal garden growing up one side, whilst its very solid presence is belied by the floating foundation below, which seems to lift the building off street level. Whilst it’s only been open since 2007 (after six years of construction), it’s already drawing visitors up its sheet metal staircase and through the neon strip-lit foyer to its free exhibits, design-savvy gift shop, and cool top-floor restaurant.