Arriving at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica gallery, you could be forgiven
for thinking that the Cor-Ten steel-covered tentacles winding around and
through its elegantly helical staircase are a temporary installation. Quite the
contrary. The biomorphic forms are load-bearing. They brace a four-level
section of facade that Moneo Brock Studio and Quanto Arquitectura cut free
from the rest of the landmark Telefónica headquarters, creating an ample
stair atrium to welcome visitors—many of whom might be surprised to learn
that the sculptural staircase doubles as a fire exit.
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