Cano y Escario, founded in 1988 by Benjamín Cano and Diego Escario, is today a benchmark among Spain's leading architectural firms. Their extensive experience and comprehensive vision of architecture have been reflected in a multitude of projects, both in the residential sector and in the health and educational services sector. A brilliant trajectory that has placed them in the top 10 of the most important studios in our country.
One of its hallmarks is its universal conception of architecture. Cano y Escario stands out for covering all phases of the construction process, including urban planning, engineering, refurbishment, interior design, Breeam and LEED analysis, and landscaping. To do so, they have a multidisciplinary team of more than 75 highly qualified professionals specialised in the main areas of the studio's development. In addition, their commitment to design and quality has resulted in great respect for the environment and the use of advanced technologies such as BIM, virtual reality and 3D animations.
When it comes to tackling a new project, inspiration usually comes from an in-depth study of the environment and the suitability of the idea to the client's objectives. In this sense, the studio stands out for approaching each commission with responsibility and offering a close and personal service, which has led them to successfully complete more than 2,000 projects with more than 300 clients. Spectacular figures that materialise in a diverse portfolio, which includes houses, flats, schools, student residences and hospitals.
Among its main projects, we highlight the Visitor and Interpretation Centre of the Timanfaya National Park, the New State Public Library, the Gregorio Peces-Barba Student Residence and, of course, our project The Valley by Kronos Homes, in Colmenar Viejo (Madrid). A very special residential project, during the development of which we have had the opportunity to verify the good work and professionalism of Cano and Escario. A professionalism that has earned them several awards and mentions in architectural guides, among other distinctions.
Cano y Escario is one of the 10 largest architectural firms in Spain. It is a studio that stands out for its comprehensive vision, as it covers all phases of the building process. The more than 2,000 projects it has developed include works related to urban planning, engineering, refurbishment, interior design, Breeam and LEED analysis and landscaping.
The origins of the Cano y Escario studio date back to 1988, when it was founded by architects Benjamín Cano Domínguez and Diego Escario Travesedo. And in addition to its facilities in Madrid, since 2020 it has added a London office - where it collaborates with Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt, renowned for its creative and pragmatic architecture. It also has international collaborators in countries such as Colombia and Nigeria.
When defining its style, the studio itself points out that it "maintains a particularly emphatic, friendly, integrating and personal architectural language". And theirs is "an architecture with a balanced, responsible, capable, intelligent, weighty, serene, enduring, relevant and underlined will".
At present, it has a multidisciplinary team in charge of giving shape to the ideas of its clients and made up of more than 75 highly qualified professionals:
To the design and quality that characterises their conception of architecture, they add a concern for respect for the environment, in which innovation and technology play an important role. A good example of this is the use of BIM technologies, virtual reality, parametric modelling and 3D animations.
As for how they start their projects, Diego Escario, who has been passionate about drawing since childhood, tells Kronos Homes that inspiration usually starts in the environment where they are going to be located. "That's the first foundation on which we start. Then we are also influenced by the social environment in which we move. And finally, we take into account the objectives set by the client", he specifies.
In relation to this last point, Benjamín Cano explains in an interview granted to the website Arquitectura y Empresa that: "the common denominator of the studio is to approach each assignment with the utmost responsibility. And since our beginnings we have always tried to provide a close and agile service, with a very personal relationship in the case of developers. We always put ourselves in the client's shoes".
If one had to summarise the history of the study in numbers, the following figures are a representative example of what the team of Benjamín Cano Domínguez and Diego Escario Travesedo has achieved since 1988:
A good way to get to know his professional career is through the book + 30 years 1988 - 2020. A volume with a deluxe binding that brings together some of the studio's most emblematic projects, presented to the reader with high-quality plans and photographs. It also includes opinions and reviews of renowned architects such as Julio Touza and Rafael de La-Hoz, who, like Benjamín Cano Domínguez and Diego Escario Travesedo, have collaborated with Kronos Homes.
Taking stock of these more than three decades of association, Cano states on the studio's website that the studio has always been distinguished by "a coherent architectural discourse with a personal and sonorous language characterised by equal parts delicacy and rotundity".
Certainly, with such an extensive portfolio it is difficult to make a selection of the best projects by Cano y Escario Arquitectos. From residential and single-family homes to refurbishments and interior designs, as well as unique buildings, educational, office, tertiary, hospital and sports facilities, their catalogue is wide and varied. And among the thousands of works carried out, the studio highlights the following:
His work has also been publicly recognised with various awards and participations in biennials. Among them:
The studio's work has also been included in guides to 20th century Spanish architecture and its representatives have taken part in conferences, presentations and teaching sessions.
Among Cano and Escario's most outstanding projects is The Valley residential development by Kronos Homes. For Diego Escario, the starting point was the natural beauty of Colmenar Viejo, halfway between the city and the mountains, and the integration of the project with the surrounding nature.
The solution was conceptualised in an "original idea" and materialised in the creation of transition spaces: the garden between the house and the communal areas; and the communal areas between the residential and its surroundings. A play of borders that allows for an interrelation of spaces and multiplies the possibilities of use of the dwellings.
The result is a residential complex where every detail has a reason for being: the internal routes are optimal, the orientation of the dwellings makes the most of every minute of natural light and the construction optimises resources to the maximum, increasing the efficiency and sustainability of the whole complex.
They say at Cano y Escario that "in architecture it is essential to know how to differentiate between fashions and true evolution". After more than 2,000 projects, the conceptual quality and brilliant execution of The Valley show us that they have achieved this.