2009 was an important year for Puerta del Sol. After six years of work, its renovated Cercanías station, one of the busiest in Madrid, has entered service. This comprehensive reform positioned the square as the heart of the city. The changes were numerous, but the most striking was the installation of an access canopy to the station. For 14 years, this curved stainless steel and glass structure, designed by Salmancan architect Antonio Fernández Alba, has welcomed the thousands of travelers who pass through the heart of the capital every day.
This unique marquee has been nicknamed in several ways. Whale, ball swallower, igloo or glass aquarium are some of the names it has received. Although the most characteristic of this structure is the controversy it has generated since the day it was installed, both for its aesthetics and for its functionality. The whale was designed at a time when contemporary architecture dared to dialogue with public space through sculptural forms, in the wake of projects like the Pei pyramid at the Louvre museum.
In response to the countless criticisms received since its installation in 2009, after the last renovation of the square, carried out under the mayorship of José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the whale was condemned to “death row”. The renovation project, completed in 2023, aimed to consolidate the pedestrianization of the square, in addition to replacing the controversial marquee with an oval glass enclosure that would allow a complete view of the square. The action included moving three sculptures and building a new fountain, but it was postponed. According to municipal documentation, the replacement was then considered unfeasible due to the deadlines required by Adif, manager of the Cercanías service, which had to issue a risk assessment report.
Many proposals were made to modify the controversial structure and one of those that received the best popular reception was that of the architect Álvaro Bonet. As a great connoisseur of the work of Antonio Palacios, he proposes to recover the access that was in the square until the 1930s, a replica of the temple in place of the current whale. However, the municipal works department ruled out the intervention for technical reasons. After several discussions, in March 2024 a formula was agreed to replace the marquee by authorization and not by agreement. Nearly two years later, the final dates for the execution have still not been set. His replacement is currently pending without date.
The debate over the permanence of the whale reflects deeper tensions regarding the management of public space in Madrid. Since the completion of the Sol renovation work, the square has become the scene of major advertising campaigns. Series installations such as Rage either Stranger Things or immersive PlayStation experiences have transformed the entrance to Cercanías station into a permanent showcase for commercial brands.
The management of these spaces falls to Global, a company which maintains an exclusive contract with Adif for the operation of advertising in stations, notably in Cercanías. Global Media’s contract with Adif was signed in 2022 for a period of ten years, with the possibility of an additional five-year extension. The company is also present in other means of transport in Spain such as buses and the Barcelona metro, where it signed a contract in 2025 that guarantees the entity a minimum annual income of 7.4 million euros.
Since 2022, Global has transformed the main Spanish stations with the installation of digital mupis, large format screens and measurement tools such as geostation, the first technology that allows calculating the internal audience of stations, thus optimizing the visibility of advertising campaigns. According to the company itself on its website, Adif stations have set a historic record for travelers in 2024, consolidating these spaces as powerful and sustainable advertising environments, and placing Puerta del Sol at the epicenter of brand communication.
Somos Madrid was able to confirm with Adif that this agreement arises from a public tender in which Global was won and that the company has full control over the marketing and management of advertising in all stations. The company presents Sol installations as “unique experiences for brands”, capable of impacting a massive audience who travel kilometer 0 of the capital every day.
In July, Sol’s whale transformed into a giant mouth. The action was part of an unprecedented campaign promoted by Global, EssenceMediacom, mStudio and HBO Max. The iconic structure has been transformed to announce the arrival of the series Rage. Using digital mupis and interactive elements, the campaign was introduced inside and outside the station. According to advertising experts of the time, this action is an example of how outdoor advertising “can be respectfully integrated into the urban environment, providing cultural and social value.”
This first installation took several weeks. Then, in November, the whale completely transformed into a crashed spaceship. It was the central element of This is happening on PS5a campaign with which PlayStation celebrated the launch of its fifth generation console. For almost a month he occupied the marquee, which was vacant for a short time.
Next December, the promotional campaign for the new season of Stranger Things invaded the entire center of the capital with Christmas lights, video mapping on the facade of the Royal Post Office and even personalized manhole covers. The whale has not been spared by the audiovisual phenomenon. For several days, a bright advertising panel with the series’ sign and Vecna’s tentacles has covered the marquee.
The Madrid agora transformed into an “advertising market”
While large companies like HBO Max, Netflix or Sony celebrate these opportunities, urban planning and architecture experts warn against the trivialization of public space. Jesús San Vicente, representative of the NEXO group of the College of Architects of Madrid, criticizes the fact that Puerta del Sol has become a “stage for a commercial spectacle” where citizens become simple puppets of an advertising choreography. “Months ago, they put a kind of mouth and a PlayStation structure. I found it horrible. Then Stranger Things happened, again and again. The important thing is the philosophy behind it, in Madrid there is not a single non-commercial square meter. We are talking about collective heritage, not private space,” he denounces.
San Vicente recalls that any minimal intervention in public space requires multiple controls, while these advertising installations are set up with “total impunity”. He emphasizes that the Puerta del Sol, symbol of the citizen agora and the 15M, has become a platform where civic function and democracy are subordinated to commercialization: “When the agora becomes a market, citizens become part of a marketing spectacle. This is very serious, especially in a space with such symbolic charge.
The architect also denounces the lack of cultural or architectural criteria in Madrid. Unlike cities like Barcelona or Logroño, where competitions are organized for lighting or ephemeral architecture, in the capital companies set up structures without aesthetic or heritage control. Recent examples include Christmas decorations, which St. Vincent calls “shameful hortism.” Municipal policy, according to him, does not trust architects or designers, but rather companies which have complete freedom to intervene in public space, with often questionable results. “It seems that political leaders like this flavor of ‘Miami 2’ with Formula 1, American football… as if the city was a theme park,” he laments.
Regarding the Whale of Sol, San Vicente emphasizes that the work of Antonio Fernández Alba, although the work of a prestigious architect, has an aggressive presence in the square and should be submitted to a public competition guaranteeing the diversity of proposals and democratic criteria. “The Puerta del Sol is the symbolic heart of democracy in Madrid. Replacing the whale is not only a question of design, but also of symbolism and function. A public competition would be the right thing to do,” he insists.
Currently, the commodification of space is evident. The Metro and Cercanías entrances function as thematic devices, integrating citizens into consumer narratives. Ephemeral structures occupy the square and displace civic functions, while events and advertising campaigns redefine Puerta del Sol as an urban product, rather than the “democratic agora” the architect champions.
San Vicente offers an alternative: betting on quality ephemeral architecture, with competitions and cultural memory, which allows us to reflect on sustainability, the city of the future and public space. Without these initiatives, the architect warns that Madrid runs the risk of trivializing its most emblematic places, replacing collective heritage with large-format commercial decorations.
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