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A New Life for a Madrid Landmark
From industrial heritage to a leading science campus. A documentary exploring the intersection of memory, architecture, and innovation.
TPW developed a documentary that accompanies the transformation of Madrid's historic Clesa Dairy Factory into a new science and innovation campus led by Kadans Science Partner. Through archival footage, historical research, and interviews with future stakeholders, the film connects the building's industrial legacy with its next chapter as a hub for research, education, and collaboration.
An Icon of Spanish Industrial Architecture
Some buildings transcend their original purpose. Designed by Alejandro de la Sota in the late 1950s, the former Clesa Dairy Factory is one of the defining landmarks of Spanish industrial architecture and a symbol of Madrid's modernisation.
Originally conceived to process and distribute milk on an industrial scale, it stood for decades as a benchmark of technical and industrial innovation before falling into disuse. Its story is also the story of a city in constant transformation.
Reinventing Cities
Today, the building is entering a new chapter. Kadans Science Partner, one of Europe's leading developers of science and innovation campuses, is leading the transformation of the former factory into a vibrant ecosystem bringing together laboratories, research centres, academic institutions, and technology-driven companies.
The project was the winning proposal in the international Reinventing Cities competition, launched by the C40 network of cities to regenerate underused urban spaces through sustainable developments that create lasting value for their communities. The Val-Verde proposal, developed in collaboration with Rubio Arquitectura, was selected for its ability to balance the preservation of the building's architectural heritage with a new purpose centred on science and innovation.
To present this vision to institutions, companies, and the future users of the campus, Kadans entrusted TPW with creating a documentary that would go beyond explaining an architectural project. Our goal was to craft a narrative that connects the site's rich history with its future, showing how a building once dedicated to industrial production is being transformed into a place of knowledge and innovation.
A Story Told in Three Acts
Working closely with the team at Rubio Arquitectura, we began an in-depth exploration of Clesa's history and architectural significance. Archival photographs documenting the factory's original construction were brought into dialogue with contemporary footage of the building, still standing empty, creating a powerful contrast between the energy of its industrial past and the quiet anticipation of its transformation.
Parts II & III: Present and Future
To illustrate what this new campus will truly represent, we interviewed representatives from hospitals, universities, public institutions, and scientific organisations that will become part of this ecosystem. Their perspectives transform the documentary into a conversation about the future of research, collaboration, and innovation in Madrid.
Rather than documenting the restoration of a historic building, this project tells the story of how an icon of Spanish industry is finding a new purpose as a catalyst for progress. This time, not through the production of food, but of knowledge.
