Madrid construction firm aims to build EU’s tallest skyscraper

THE construction developer Distrito Castellana Norte (DCN) plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the European Union in the Chamartin district of Madrid. 

The building, which will have 70 floors, is the flagship of an urban expansion project which will include five additional skyscrapers.

The announcement was by DCN executive director Antonio Bejar on Wednesday April 13, at the Sustainable Urban Development forum organised by the newspaper El Paid and sponsored by DCN and BBVA bank.

Presently, the glass tower in the ‘four towers’ complex is the tallest in Madrid, with 52 floors and a height of 250 metres.

According to the developer, these six skyscrapers “represent a balanced and sustainable urban environment.”

The project has not yet been granted an official municipal licence, but Mr Bejar said that they expect an answer before the end of the year.

BBVA own 75.5 per cent of DCN, with 24.5 per cent belonging to construction firm San Jose, and the project is 20 years in the making.

The plan, named ‘Operation Chamartin’, involves extension of the Paseo de la Castellana by 3.7 kilometres, plus a redevelopment of 311 hectares of land to include 17,699 homes, green zones and the six skyscrapers.

DCN are prepared to invest €6 billion in the project, which is expected to create 120,000 new jobs. Eighty per cent of the space will be dedicated to public spaces, and improvements to local infrastructure will include new train and metro stations and 13 kilometres of bicycle paths.