> Building for Infinito Delicias
Madrid, Spain
2025
First prize - Gold winner Europe, Holcim Awards for sustainable construction, 2023.
(Infinito Delicias: Husos + elii y Ultrazul).
FAD Architecture Awards, 2026.
Innovation Award La Casa de la Arquitectura, 2026.
Architectural design, urban and
property research:
Husos + elii
Business plan, management and social
innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul
Client:
Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso
This rehabilitation
of a former industrial building is part of a comprehensive 360 design process
for the Carasso Foundation's headquarters. It includes: space design,
management, governance, identity, business model, urban research and real
estate search. Aiming to blend knowledge and forge alliances among urban
stakeholders linked to art, education, and sustainable food—core values of the
Foundation—it implements a new urban model in terms of environmental, social,
and economic exemplarity.
> Building for Infinito Delicias
Madrid, Spain
2025
First prize - Gold winner Europe, Holcim Awards for sustainable construction, 2023.
(Infinito Delicias: Husos + elii y Ultrazul).
FAD Architecture Awards, 2026.
Innovation Award La Casa de la Arquitectura, 2026.
Architectural design, urban and
property research:
Husos + elii
Business plan, management and social
innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul
Client:
Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso
The design of the Building
for Infinito Delicias is based on the following strategies:
Preserving and
restoring as many elements of the existing structure as possible, enhancing
Madrid’s industrial heritage and making use of the building’s embodied energy. / Reorganizing
circulation through a circuit of indoor–outdoor spaces arranged as a peripheral
“ring”, ensuring accessibility and permeability between the different uses
within the building and between the building and the neighbourhood. / Building, wherever possible, using biomaterials (locally sourced timber, cork,
lime mortars, etc.), recycled materials or materials with low environmental
impact, based on life-cycle assessment and the ecological performance of each
material. In this way, a logic of material circularity is pursued. /
Implementing
an ambitious bioclimatic strategy aimed at optimizing the building’s energy
performance and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
For example, the east and west façades of the block, supported by a structure of chestnut timber “bulges”, constitute a regulatory and spatial reinterpretation of many traditional Madrid façades. In these façades, planted “balconies” with awnings create a thermal buffer that plays a key role in seasonal climate regulation. The outdoor–indoor circulation route linking the various inhabited spaces is also conceived as a tempered space: well insulated from the exterior and free of active heating or cooling systems, it contributes positively to the overall energy savings of the building. / Integrating a series of gardens, including planted areas, growing tables, composters, vegetated filters and animal architectures such as bird drinking points, with plans to add bat refuges and insect hotels in the future through neighbourhood-based activities. The botanical project supports the bioclimatic strategy, mitigates the urban heat island effect and fosters local biodiversity. Understorey species suited to the tempered microclimate were selected for the central courtyard garden, while regional perennial species with low water requirements were chosen for the external façade gardens. A 15 m³ tank located beneath the courtyard collects rainwater for irrigation. / Addressing the building’s active climate control through renewable energy systems such as geothermal and air-source heat pumps, combined with a distributed and integrated photovoltaic solar field.
Part of this system forms
a pergola on the roof of the block, providing shade for this leisure space and,
moreover, is integrated as a hybrid landscape within the green roofs of the
industrial sheds. The project also envisages the creation of an energy
community together with neighbouring buildings, including a local school and a
residential
block. / Installing indicators
that make energy management visible, creating an “energy landscape” that
encourages neighbourhood engagement with environmental issues. / Implementing a decarbonization strategy that encompasses design decisions,
material specifications, and organizational and programmatic configurations of
space.
In the context of the
climate crisis, the project addresses socio-ecological challenges that require
urgent attention. On the one hand, it is grounded in the understanding that
every construction detail, material specification and spatial strategy entails
an ecological commitment to others—human and more-than-human, past, present and
future generations, and diverse bodies—across multiple spatial and temporal
scales. On the other hand, these challenges are approached by considering how
architecture can give rise to desire, opening up imaginaries through which to
envisage alternative ways of living together and futures that are less
exclusively focused on the human.
Client: Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation /
Architectural project and urban and property research: Husos arquitecturas (Camilo García, Diego Barajas) + elii [architecture office] (Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil and Carlos Palacios) /
Business plan, management and social innovation model and property research: Ultrazul (Julia López Varela + Zuloark) /
Project coordination (Husos + elii): Teresa Martínez. / Site supervision assistance (Husos + elii): Teresa Martínez and Ricardo Monteiro. / R&D (Husos + elii): Almudena Tenorio and Teresa Martínez. /
Urban and property research: Husos arquitecturas + elii [oficina de arquitectura] and Ultrazul. /
Quantity Surveyors: Dirtec – Javier Mach and Javier González. / Urban planning consultancy and permits: García de los Muros arquitectos s.l.p. / Property and business model consultancy: AIGA. / Building services, structures, bioclimatic design, and LCA: SOCOTEC, BAC, and Aiguasol. / Agronomy and environmental services: Heliconia and Tierra. / BREEAM Certification: Ineria / Telecommunications, security, and audiovisuals: Azul Telecom and Fluge. /
Furniture project: Husos arquitecturas + elii [oficina de arquitectura] and Ultrazul. / Site specific furniture and lighting design: Husos arquitecturas + elii [oficina de arquitectura]; Lucas Muñoz and Casa Antillón. / Husos + elii collaborators: Teresa Martínez, Almudena Tenorio, Ricardo Monteiro, Lydia Terkenli, Raquel Peña, Sem Fernández, Álvaro Garrido, Aníbal Arenas, Ciaran Farren, Jeremy Schipper, Elena del Cura, Giulia Poma, Elena Taliano, Álvaro Heredia, Pedro Marcano, Ilaria Sasdelli, Jimena Jaén, João Manfrinato, Lucía Fernández, Ana López, Javier Élices, Victoria Dafos, Claudia Sánchez, Francisco Toré, Marta Vaquero, Raquel Cano, Gemma Barricarte, Juan Mateos, Mónica Palfy, Stefania Rasile, Sophia Liatrou. / Ultrazul collaborators: Sebastián Fernández Russomando, Azul Telecom, Nani Moré, Ainhoa Moreno, Lakook-CEAR, Deluz y Compañía, Fôret, Ansón y Bonet, Araceli Jaliff, Antonella Broglia, Larisa Cabañas, Juanito Jones, David Cárdenas, Leyre Romero, María Giselle Pérez, Javier Lorés, Juan Parodi, Irene Zugasti. / Project Manager: Fermín Montequín. / Construction company: Empty. / 3D images: Bruno Muñoz with Husos + elii and Artefactory. / Photography: José Hevia e Impresiones cotidianas (Juan Asolot). / Acknowledgements: Carlos Almela. /
This work has been carried out within the framework of an interdisciplinary process developed by Husos and Elii + Ultrazul + Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso.
> Building for Infinito Delicias
Madrid, Spain
2025
First prize - Gold winner Europe, Holcim Awards for sustainable construction, 2023.
(Infinito Delicias: Husos + elii y Ultrazul).
FAD Architecture Awards, 2026.
Innovation Award La Casa de la Arquitectura, 2026.
Architectural design, urban and
property research:
Husos + elii
Business plan, management and social
innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul
Client:
Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso
This rehabilitation
of a former industrial building is part of a comprehensive 360 design process
for the Carasso Foundation's headquarters. It includes: space design,
management, governance, identity, business model, urban research and real
estate search. Aiming to blend knowledge and forge alliances among urban
stakeholders linked to art, education, and sustainable food—core values of the
Foundation—it implements a new urban model in terms of environmental, social,
and economic exemplarity.
Madrid, Spain
2025
First prize - Gold winner Europe, Holcim Awards for sustainable construction, 2023. (Infinito Delicias: Husos + elii y Ultrazul).
FAD Architecture Awards, 2026.
Innovation Award La Casa de la Arquitectura, 2026.
property research:
Husos + elii
Business plan, management and social
innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul
Client:
Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso
The design of the Building
for Infinito Delicias is based on the following strategies:
Preserving and
restoring as many elements of the existing structure as possible, enhancing
Madrid’s industrial heritage and making use of the building’s embodied energy. / Reorganizing
circulation through a circuit of indoor–outdoor spaces arranged as a peripheral
“ring”, ensuring accessibility and permeability between the different uses
within the building and between the building and the neighbourhood. / Building, wherever possible, using biomaterials (locally sourced timber, cork,
lime mortars, etc.), recycled materials or materials with low environmental
impact, based on life-cycle assessment and the ecological performance of each
material. In this way, a logic of material circularity is pursued. / Implementing an ambitious bioclimatic strategy aimed at optimizing the
building’s energy performance and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. For example, the east
and west façades of the block, supported by a structure of chestnut timber
“bulges”, constitute a regulatory and spatial reinterpretation of many traditional
Madrid façades. In these façades, planted “balconies” with awnings create a
thermal buffer that plays a key role in seasonal climate regulation. The
outdoor–indoor circulation route linking the various inhabited spaces is also
conceived as a tempered space: well insulated from the exterior and free of
active heating or cooling systems, it contributes positively to the overall
energy savings of the building. / Integrating a series of gardens, including planted areas, growing tables,
composters, vegetated filters and animal architectures such as bird drinking
points, with plans to add bat refuges and insect hotels in the future through
neighbourhood-based activities. The botanical project supports the bioclimatic
strategy, mitigates the urban heat island effect and fosters local
biodiversity. Understorey species suited to the tempered microclimate were
selected for the central courtyard garden, while regional perennial species
with low water requirements were chosen for the external façade gardens. A 15
m³ tank located beneath the courtyard collects rainwater for irrigation. / Addressing the building’s active climate control through renewable energy
systems such as geothermal and air-source heat pumps, combined with a
distributed and integrated photovoltaic solar field. Part of this system forms
a pergola on the roof of the block, providing shade for this leisure space and,
moreover, is integrated as a hybrid landscape within the green roofs of the
industrial sheds. The project also envisages the creation of an energy
community together with neighbouring buildings, including a local school and a
residential block. / Installing indicators that make energy management visible, creating an “energy
landscape” that encourages neighbourhood engagement with environmental issues. / Implementing a decarbonization strategy that encompasses design decisions,
material specifications, and organizational and programmatic configurations of
space.
In the context of the
climate crisis, the project addresses socio-ecological challenges that require
urgent attention. On the one hand, it is grounded in the understanding that
every construction detail, material specification and spatial strategy entails
an ecological commitment to others—human and more-than-human, past, present and
future generations, and diverse bodies—across multiple spatial and temporal
scales. On the other hand, these challenges are approached by considering how
architecture can give rise to desire, opening up imaginaries through which to
envisage alternative ways of living together and futures that are less
exclusively focused on the human.
