The Spanish Technical Association for Galvanization -ATEG- has given out its annual awards. The ATEG distinctions go to leading building, civil-engineering and urban equipment projects that have made significant or original use of galvanized steel.

The jury conferred the award on the Magic Box, a facility developed and managed by Madrid Espacios y Congresos and built by FCC. A total of 81 projects competed for the awards this year, the competition's sixth.

The Magic Box's image is inextricably entwined with galvanized steel, which was used in a multitude of structural elements plus a great many of the complex's signature indoor finishes, such as vast false ceiling panels, perimeter protection and handrails.

The athletic complex, the brainchild of Dominique Perrault, combines high tech with design, function and environmental friendliness. Inside, the complex holds two buildings, the Magic Box proper and Tennis Indoor. The Magic Box has three stadiums with different seating capacities. One of the most-interesting features of the stadiums is their retractable roofs, which can be adjusted to lie completely open, partly open or closed.

Tennis Indoor is a 600-metre long facility housing 11 indoor courts and a large administrative area. The two buildings are artfully arranged in conjunction with a 25,000-square-metre artificial lake and a 50,000-square-metre landscaped area, reconciling cutting-edge design with sustainability.