255-0-56 stands for the numeric code of the traditional Carmine Red in the RGB system. This duality between the materic historical pigment and the contemporary codex representation is constantly present in the 21st century. 255-0-56 architects challenges the intuitive and poetic phisicality of art that Carmine Red represents confronting it against a more abstract-scientific description of our world. This confrontation utimatetly results on the uniqueness of our architecture and approach to design

MARINA CISNEROS graduated in 2005 with honours at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid. After graduating she worked for three years at Foster and Partners where she participated in a number of relevant international projects. In 2009 she obtained La Caixa Foundaition Postgraduate Scholarship to develop a research on “Structure through algorithms” at Columbia University, NYC, presently undergoing. Marina Cisneros is a registered architect in UK (ARB #073955C) & Spain (COAM #16678).

JORGE MUÑOZ graduated in 2005 at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid and with honours at the Institut the Architecture Universite de Geneve. His profesional experience comprises two years at Tragsatec, leading several cultural projects already built, and one year at Foster and Partners where he was involved in various large scale international projects. In 2009 he obtained the Caja Madrid’s Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship to complete a dregree in advance architectural design at Columbia University. Jorge Muñoz is a registered architect in UK (ARB #074390I) and Spain (COAM #16410).

DATE: 2010. TYPE: Master plan. LOCATION: Shenzhen city, China. DESCRIPTION: What would happen if the limits of cities are frozen and we define the border as the new centrality? Shenzhen grows around mountains and towards them by flattening its topography. Those green islands have lead into a rather polycentric city. This represents a great opportunity because the edge of the city is inside of it, close to those multiple urban centers. The materialization of this border will stop the destruction of this landscape islands and will allow formalize the informal population living in the nearby insalubrious urban villages. A powerful public transport will be associated to huge residential structures conforming together a net of linked rings around the mountains. The rings will provide the huge demand of housing and a net of public spaces above the existing city level, recovering the street as a public space and generating a new background for the skyline of Shenzhen.

DATE: 2009. TYPE: Office, Research. LOCATION: New York, USA. DESCRIPTION: The project aims to create massive architecture out of organic shapes and challenge the assumption that only light structures could represent dynamism, allow movement and ultimately generate energy. The development of the project is based on the dialogue between stone and other flexible and softer materials. Looking at the interaction between them, the erosion of one material over the other is the mechanism used to shape the elements of the project. The final outcome is formed by a polished set of pieces and a system of tensiles that contain and endless history of movements and interactions that will endlessly remain forming a continuous unbalanced system of polleys, constituting a constant source of energy for the operative necessities of the center.

DATE: 2009. TYPE: Public, Landscape. LOCATION: Rio Tinto mines, Huelva, Spain. DESCRIPTION: Being pollution an intrinsic and major social and environmental issue, could we assume its role and deal with it not as a harmful consequence but a primary substance? Carbonic is the scenario of regeneration of the biotope of the river Tinto mines area through the acidic necrosis of sugar, producing carbon in an expansive reaction. The waters of the river will be purified of sulfuric acid. The extracted acid coming from the water of the river will be poured into the cavities of the terrain. The topography will act as a natural mold. The depth, width and shape of the cavities, and the amount of sulfuric acid will determine the shape of the formations. Can we talk about new typologies generated by new substances?

DATE: 2009. TYPE: Pavilion, Competition. LOCATION: Surrey, UK. DESCRIPTION: A small pavilion designed as a handcrafted piece of wood, takes the shape of a small cocoon in which interior a central exhibition space is located. The mechanical operated hardware system allows the piece to open and close depending on the environmental and social conditions, creating different configurations internally and externally. The light structure, created by 4 different pieces of laminated wood, is very easy to fabricate, transport and quick to assemble in order to be moved from Woking to London where it would be used as a temporary pavilion.

DATE: 2008. TYPE: Sports, Competition, Third Prize. LOCATION: Olympic Madrid, Spain. DESCRIPTION: The entire plot is flood so the rowing canal becomes a strong geometric imprint on the landscape. The entire plot is excavated up to 3.5m depth. The approximate volume of this excavation is 2.700.000m3. The impact to the environment is reduced by using the excavation material in the construction of a big perimetral slope and to define the rowing canal itself. The topography creates an esplanade at the entrance to the recint. Two perimetral paths start from this point, one around the lagoon, the other around the rowing canal that contains all the uses, being the only constructed element. The artificial surrounding lagoon is used as returning channel.

DATE: 2007. TYPE: Industrial, Completed . LOCATION: Toledo, Spain. CREDITS: Tragsatec: Manuel Fonseca (principal) Jorge Muñoz, (architect); Manuel Machuca (quantity surveyor). DESCRIPTION: Along the lines formed by two existing rows of trees, a third one reinforcing this direction is added. Two warehouse modules are allocated in the terraces created in between the tree lines, allowing future flexibility of uses and growth. A steel frame is repeated every five meters and enclosed with a continuous facade-roof cladding modular system. Two sectional doors close the ends with a high proportion of void to allow natural light. Circular holes are randomly disposed along the façade to ventilate. Both elements intensely contrast with the black of the cladding to complete and dignify the industrial image of the warehouses.

DATE: 2006. TYPE: Museum. LOCATION: Yeste, Spain. CREDITS: Tragsatec: Manuel Fonseca (principal); Jorge Muñoz,(architect); Manuel Machuca (quantity surveyor). DESCRIPTION: The chosen location warranties excellent views over the valley and Yeste’s urban nucleus, at the same time that avoids any logging. By slightly modifying the terrain the building is integrated in its context by creating continuity between the topography and the roof garden while the context is integrated into the building, making it part of the interpretation center through large windows. Each of the rooms pops out from the main volume to look to the most relevant scenarios of the surroundings, same way the skylights do in the vertical direction pouring light in the exhibition corridor. A neat block of services completes the layout at the back of the building. White concrete, pine wood and white stone dialogues with the local traditional architecture and materials.

DATE: 2005. TYPE: Residencial. LOCATION: Stavanger, Norway. DESCRIPTION: A unitary building in the middle of the disperse clusters of farms, creates a relationship with the longer-distance elements: the hills and mountains of the Fiord of Stavanger. At the same time, it maintains the relationship with the smaller scale architecture by keeping timber as the fundamental construction material and inclined roof as a main architectural element. The houses stand in the perimeter of the building, getting light and views of the landscape, while the central space is a big void where the structure is shown, and the public uses and circulation take place. The main structure is made of concrete, supporting two secondary timber systems, orthogonal and triangulated.

DATE: 2005. TYPE: Hotel. LOCATION: Burgos, Spain. DESCRIPTION: The project is located at a historic park in the way of St. James. Respecting its well defined boundaries, it sits in the space left between the limiting wall and an existing old pilgrim hospital. Site: A geometric footprint, the result of human action, creates the site. It defines and encloses a portion of territory. Non-Site: The enclosed portion of territory is abstracted and fragmented in the specular window reflections. The site is de-located. The orientation of the two defined and abstracted portions of territory according to the orientation of the cathedrals of Burgos and St. James of Compostela makes a symbolic reference to the whole territory of the Way of St. James. The floor pattern makes visible the orientation by drawing at scale 1:1 of both cathedrals plans.

DATE: 2004. TYPE: Master plan, Competition, First Prize. LOCATION: Madrid, Spain. CREDITS: Marina Cisneros, Jorge Muñoz, Carlos Fernandez, Andres Ibañez, Elena Orte. DESCRIPTION: The south peripheral suburban area of Madrid, formed by a variety of municipalities, has become an important strategic development area for the metropolis. By looking at different administrative alternatives the project aims to address the necessity of a common territorial strategy for these municipalities to take advantage of its strategic location and its relevant natural context. The final outcome is a green transversal corridor that joins these urban nucleus and the different surrounding regional parks. Rather than creating a polarized scheme centered in Madrid capital the scheme focus the effort on adding value to the region in order to attract and increase the relation with the main metropolis.