MEMORY

 

The Palacio de Dávalos was erected at the end of the 15th century by the architects of Cardinal Mendoza´s family, who introduced the Renaissance to Spain, following the Alcarria School linked to the Duke of Infantado and other aristocratic possessions to the west of Madrid. The totally ruined building, gardens and orchards, asked for a complete restoration and rehabilitation of the palace, already modified by the Dávalos family in the 16th century.

After winning a National Competition, the project was commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. A total of more than 80,000 books, 16,000 volumes of periodicals, open stacks to the public, reading rooms and more than 100,000 volumes on compact shelves, required the rehabilitation of 1,280 m″ and 5,454 m″ of new construction.

 

The rehabilitated palace of 2 stories is completed by covering the original atrium with an inner, vaulted space for community acts and access to stacks for the lending of reference books. Administrative offices, auditorium and specialized spaces for reference files, reading, microfilms and music.

The new construction opposes its composition to the circular palace through a compact body of technologically updated construction, heavy weights of 1,000 kg/m″ for open shelves and public attendance, and 2.000 kg/m″ for compact stacks. Main reading room, childrens´ area, cultural spaces and the stacks are located in 2 basement floors.

 

The rehabilitation of the palace included an innovative structural reinforcement of the clay and mixed fabrics walls and rotten, wooden floors. The entire roof of wooden and old Arab tile structure has been remade with the same materials. The unique stone portal facade, one of the first Renaissance architectural pieces in Spain, had to be dismounted and totally restored. The 4 wooden ceiling panelworks, of Mudejar style, have been restored, reconstructed and one has been moved over to the new staircase structure. The building was inaugurated in December 2002.