From Design to Construction: Digital Reconstruction of the Convent’s Kitchen Area in the Monastery of El Escorial

Abstract

It is quite common to make decisions during a building process that may have some effect on design guidelines. The proposed case study, that is the old Kitchen wing in the Monastery of El Escorial (Madrid, Spain)—built between April 1564 and May 1571-, shows the various design changes made even during construction. They can be followed in the graphic and written historical documents that are still preserved, to compare them with the built reality by means of an accurate survey. The study of this area in such an interesting World Heritage Site -inscribed in 1984- is justified for two main reasons: first, its formal, geometrical, and constructive complexity shown in the numerous and ingenious ashlar work vaults, arches, and openings; second, the interesting functional solutions displayed on the six-storey wing, from cellars to attics. Both are closely related because the constructive solutions applied gave a clear answer to the original operational needs, and particularly to natural lighting and airing requirements. Moreover, the built artifices are illustrative examples of Mannerist architecture that were fully operational over centuries. Through the digital reconstruction of this area, we aim to recover and interesting part of the Monastery’s memory.