The University of Complutense Madrid (UCM) has begun demolishing buildings that once housed its Faculty of Economics and Business in Somosaguas, prompting professors and architects to urge a pause so their heritage value can be examined. The buildings have no current protection, and the university says it must comply with planning rules governing the site.
Built in 1968, the faculty was moved to Somosaguas as the Franco regime sought to disperse university centres amid growing student protests. The campus later saw assemblies and demonstrations, including an incident recalled by former Industry Minister and professor Miguel Sebastián, when police officers known as “the grays” entered to break up a gathering.
Sebastián and other faculty members describe the buildings as a place of memory. Professor Rafael Salas says staff asked the university for time to commission a detailed assessment, but were told a moratorium was not possible. A preliminary report by architects Francisco Arques Soler and Alfonso Muñoz Cosme argues that the buildings should be retained.
Muñoz Cosme says the complex has historical significance as an example of university planning intended to suppress student movements, as well as architectural value. Its reinforced-concrete structure, sloping overhangs and tiered classrooms reflect influences from modernist and New Brutalist architecture, according to the report.
The Madrid College of Architects (COAM) is preparing a list of buildings for protection at the request of Pozuelo de Alarcón council. It plans to propose safeguarding at least three buildings in the Somosaguas complex so they can continue to be used. The COAM says it was unaware that demolition was imminent.
The Madrid, Citizenship and Heritage association has also suggested that municipal level-two protection could preserve the buildings’ structure. Some professors have asked the regional government to consider adding them to Madrid’s catalogue of heritage assets, a move that could halt demolition. The regional government says it has not yet received that request.
UCM says it needed a new building and reached an agreement with Pozuelo, which granted planning permission subject to the removal of the existing structures. The university says it reviewed the town’s heritage catalogue and the regional architecture guide, while also citing its responsibility to comply with planning law and ensure the viability of its infrastructure.
Pozuelo says it did not require demolition. According to the council, the university requested it as part of its plan to replace the faculty, and the planning issue concerns the maximum permitted building area on the plot. The council says UCM can choose which buildings to retain, provided the permitted limit is not exceeded.
The university confirms that demolition work began on Monday and is expected to last three months. Professors are seeking a pause while the buildings are assessed, while the COAM is preparing its protection proposal.
Sources: El País Educación.