• With this action, Iberdrola has already allocated 3 million euros to initiatives for the improvement of more than 40 monuments in Spain
• The new lighting of the building, in the heart of Madrid’s Paseo de la Castellana, enhances its architecture, improves its energy efficiency, and will reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere

The Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional (CESEDEN) has unveiled today its exterior lighting, according to the agreement signed between the Iberdrola Spain Foundation and the Ministry of Defense. This action is part of Iberdrola’s initiatives for the care and conservation of historical-artistic wealth.

The inauguration of the lighting took place this afternoon. It has a total of 70 luminaires with a power of 1,138 W, which uses the most advanced LED technology, and with which it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of the building, reduce light pollution, as well as minimize maintenance work.

The new design demonstrates the Iberdrola Foundation’s commitment to promoting innovation and respect for the environment and provides the façade with general, dim, and continuous lighting, taking advantage of its warm, flattened brick surface. In addition, the different degrees of light reflection of the system will be responsible for maintaining the same sensation and light perception that is generated with natural light, enhancing its architecture.

The switch-on ceremony, in Madrid’s Paseo de la Castellana, was attended by Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, JEMAD; Lieutenant General Francisco de Paula Bisbal Pons, DICESEDEN; the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán; and the Chairman of Fundación Iberdrola España, Fernando García Sánchez.

In his speech, Ignacio Galán expressed his satisfaction with this contribution to the conservation of historical and artistic heritage, which is part of Iberdrola’s lighting program: “Today we want to contribute to the “lighthouse of knowledge” of the three armies having the exterior lighting it deserves. Our technicians have carried out a project that enhances the characteristics of this magnificent building, helping the residents of Madrid and visitors from Spain and around the world to appreciate its beauty, and to learn more about the importance of the mission of this Center”.

The execution of the project has involved an investment of 79,500 euros. This is in addition to the actions of the Illuminations Program since 2011, with which Iberdrola has allocated more than 3 million euros to the improvement of more than 40 monuments in Spain. These include the historic Roman Bridge of Alcántara, in Cáceres; the façade of the Congress of Deputies and the Supreme Court, in Madrid; the interior of the New Cathedral of Salamanca or the Cathedral of Santiago.

Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa (CESEDEN)

The original design of the building that houses the CESEDEN is from the end of the 19th century, by the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco; it was designed to house the National School for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind of Madrid. It is a longitudinal building that combines red brick and white access and cornices. It is an extraordinary example of the best eclectic architecture of Madrid, which even today, more than a century after its construction, plays a representative role in the urban scene of the main artery of the capital, the Paseo de la Castellana.

The building has undergone several renovations over the years, the first to house the headquarters of the National Pedagogical Museum, the Teacher Training College, or the Board of Pedagogical Missions, during the Second Republic. After the Civil War, reforms were carried out to convert it into the Escuela Superior del Ejército (Army High School). That is to say, from the beginning, the educational and pedagogical uses of this building were defined, which have been maintained to the present day.