Emperador Properties SA, a private company in Spain and a real estate firm of the Emperador Group owned by the Filipino tycoon Andrew Tan, has announced that it has opened Torre Caleido Shopping Center in Madrid, Spain. 

In a Facebook post, Kevin Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group (parent company of Megaworld, Emperador, etc.) wrote: “We are honored to share this new milestone with the entire Filipino nation. As a proudly Filipino company, we will continue to pursue and engage in key projects and developments that will put the Philippines on the global map and bring great pride to our countrymen.”

Torre Caleido is located in the heart of the vibrant financial district of Spain’s capital city. The new shopping center “brings a breath of fresh air to the area with its modern design and architecture, and its plethora of offerings – from top fashion brands, leisure destinations, and roster of restaurants.”

According to the Madrid Tourism website, Torre Caleido’s highlights include its “inverted T-shape structure, outdoor space composed of large green areas called Parque Caleido… shopping and restaurant area, wide variety of fashion boutiques and restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world.” It added: “The construction of this tower is based on ‘blue architecture,’ an architectural approach that combines the wellbeing of people with respect for the environment.”

The project, designed by the architectural studios Fenwick Iribarren and Serrano-Suñer Arquitectura, is “inspired by the monolith of the film 2001: Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick, as well as the Seagram Buildings in New York and the John Hancock Center in Chicago. It is a quadrangular prism covered with two panels of black glass that create between them an air chamber allowing for more efficient air conditioning, earning this building a gold class LEED environmental certification."

"The west view of the building looks like an inverted T. Sitting atop the plinth are the garden areas, which will also provide a campus for the Institute of Business (IE), as well as public access to the different areas of the building.”

The mall is surrounded by a lush public park where guests can visit and shop at nearby stores, restaurants, cinemas and a grocery store.  It is also conveniently located just behind the Cuatro Torres Business Area in Paseo de la Castellana and a walking distance from the nearest station of the Madrid Metro subway system.

Tan noted that the opening is a “historic day for the Philippines,” perhaps alluding to the fact that a Filipino company has finally—and bravely—opened a landmark structure in another country.