Madrid is recovering one of its most emblematic and award-winning buildings of the 20th century: the Hexagons Pavilion, located in the Casa de Campo and initially built for the Brussels Universal Exposition of 1958, where it won the gold medal beating the famous Atomium. The pavilion was dismantled and moved to Madrid in 1959, adapting to its new environment with its modular structure made up of more than 130 hexagons, which function as inverted umbrellas linking the roof, structure and drainage system.
After decades of being partially abandoned, the Pavilion is in the process of a comprehensive restoration that began in 2020. The first phase, completed in 2021 after an investment of 1.3 million euros, recovered more than 3,000 m², including the main access and the atrium. Currently, the Ministry of Culture, through the Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain (IPCE), is carrying out the second phase with a budget of 2.5 million and a completion period of 15 months. This work is focused on completing the restoration of the structure, facades, carpentry and sanitation.
An architectural icon now being restored in Madrid
A third stage, to be managed by the Madrid City Council, will be dedicated to equipping the building with facilities for cultural use, including the development of the ground and equipment. It is expected that from 2027 the Hexagons Pavilion will open its doors as a museum and cultural space, becoming a renewed icon of modern architecture in the capital.
Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has underlined the importance of this intervention within an ambitious program of restoration of Madrid’s historical heritage that includes other landmarks such as the Puerta de Alcalá, the Beti Jai Fronton or the Neptuno fountain. He considers the Pavilion an “emblematic place” and “a hidden treasure in the midst of nature” that will soon be fully open to the public, bringing an architectural jewel that until now was not very accessible.
The Hexagons Pavilion not only represents a historical icon, but also a key piece to understand the series of fairs and exhibitions that transformed the Casa de Campo between the 1950s and 1970s, when Madrid capitalized on the urban, cultural and technological development of the post-war period through these temporary events.