Old Madrid Tobacco Factorylocated in the capital at Calle de Embajadores, 53, already has a BIM model (Building Information Modeling), that is, a 3D reconstruction that integrates all the data of the building, which will allow the Ministry of Culture and Sports to manage the various projects and uses that are now carried out in German
The BIM modeling project run by Urbe Pro Orbe Patrimonio Cultural SL -www.urbeproorbe.com- has “established the building’s major historical milestones” and “learn more about the building’s life through changes in use and transformation of its spaces to adapt to these changes over the years.” This is what Raphael Martin, who is in charge of the project and the architect of the Urbe Pro Orbe, points out in his report. interview for specialized company Espacio BIM -www.espaciobim.com-, in which he says that he collaborated with specialists in archeology and architecture to develop this work.
As Martin has pointed out, “The vast majority of historic buildings are the product of a sequence of transformations that take place from the time they were originally constructed and throughout their lifetime as expansions, destructions, replacements, etc. take place.” Thus, he adds, “the building that comes to us today is not the product of one moment, but the result of all these transformations.”
For this reason, “in situ” archaeological work was necessary to establish “the main historical stages in the evolution of the old tobacco factory and their precise definition”. This information also served as the basis for building a BIM model, in which all information about the building will be concentrated. Through this, this model “will allow the Ministry of Culture and Sports to better manage future interventions in it,” notes Borja Sánchez Ortega, Project Director and Director International Master BIM Manager BIM spaces.
For this project, which was developed mainly last year, the Ministry of Culture and Sports invested a total of 14,900 euros.
Large center with over 4,000 workers
The building at 53 Calle de Embajadores was built during the reign of Carlos III as a factory for the production of liquor, liquor, toys, or sealed paper, although it did not last long. In 1808 Napoleon’s army he settled in several buildings in Madrid, one of which was this factory, which was already closed.
There were three tobacco factories in Spain (in Seville, Alicante and Cadiz) and, seeing how little production reaches the capital, Joseph Bonaparte in 1809 he decided to restore the functionality of this case, this time as a tobacco company, putting about 800 cigarette cases to work. Years later, it became one of Spain’s main tobacco centers and one of the factories with the largest concentration of workers in the city, as it employed over 4,000 workers, known as cigarette cases, at the end of the 19th century.