Inside Garrigues
A visit to the Madrid firm’s new headquarters in the Torres de Colón: architecture, sustainability and cultural transformation
by ilaria iaquinta
“We’re moving to reach new heights”. With this phrase, accompanied by a a graphic stylisation of the Torres de Colón, Garrigues officially announced its relocation to a new headquarters in Madrid. It was the morning of 28 April, just hours before the largest blackout in Spain’s recent history: a dystopian day in which the entire country—along with parts of Portugal and southern France— lost power for hours, paralysing phones, the internet, traffic lights, and public transport. Since that day, the firm has occupied 20,298 square metres spread across 30 floors and 117 metres in height. An iconic building, renovated by the architectural practice Luis Vidal + Arquitectos, now houses Garrigues’ Madrid team in a single location.
Law firms relocations are not merely real estate moves. At a time when the legal sector is redefining its relationship with physical space—following the pandemic, international expansion, and the pressure to attract young talent—moving office is no longer just a matter of square footage. The decision to invest in a unified, more sustainable headquarters with open common areas and flexible workspaces can also be read as a cultural statement: a way of encoding a firm’s identity in stone and glass. In this context, new headquarters are not just buildings—they are messages.
“The wish that the next 19 years of Garrigues will be as positive for the firm as the last 19” is how Fernando Vives, executive chairman of the firm, summarised to Iberian Lawyer the feeling that accompanied him as he turned off the lights in his office at Hermosilla 3 for the last time, the firm’s home since 2006. In that time, he noted “we have made giant strides in our internationalisation, digitalisation and sustainability, not to mention that our revenue has increased by €288 million. Most importantly, we have remained true to our values and strengthened our clients’ trust. Hermosilla 3 brought us great satisfaction, and I’m confident Torres de Colón will do the same”.
THE HISTORY
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