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The National Defence Advanced Studies Centre (CESEDEN) today unveiled its exterior lighting, in accordance with the agreement signed between Fundación Iberdrola España and the Ministry of Defence. This action is part of Iberdrola's initiatives for the care and conservation of historical-artistic wealth.

The lighting was inaugurated this afternoon. It has a total of 70 luminaires with a power of 1,138 W, which use the most advanced LED technology, and with which it is possible to reduce the building's energy consumption, reduce light pollution and minimise maintenance work.

The new design demonstrates the Iberdrola Foundation's commitment to promoting innovation and respect for the environment and provides the façade with a general, dim and continuous lighting, taking advantage of its warm, bull header surface. In addition, the different degrees of light reflection of the system will be responsible for maintaining the same sensation and perception of light that is generated by natural light, enhancing its architecture.

The lighting ceremony in Madrid's Paseo de la Castellana was attended by Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, JEMAD; Lieutenant General Francisco de Paula Bisbal Pons, DICESEDEN; the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán; and the Chairman of Fundación Iberdrola España, Fernando García Sánchez. 

In his speech, Ignacio Galán expressed his satisfaction with this contribution to the conservation of historical and artistic heritage, which is part of Iberdrola's lighting programme: "Today we want to contribute to giving the "beacon of knowledge" of the three armies the exterior lighting it deserves. Our technicians have carried out a project that enhances the characteristics of this magnificent building, helping the residents of Madrid and visitors from Spain and around the world to appreciate its beauty, and to learn more about the importance of the mission of this Centre".  

The project involved an investment of €79,500. This is in addition to the actions of the Lighting Programme since 2011, with which Iberdrola has allocated more than €3 million to the improvement of more than 40 monuments in Spain. These include the historic Roman Bridge of Alcántara in Cáceres; the façade of the Congress of Deputies and the Supreme Court in Madrid; the interior of the New Cathedral in Salamanca and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 

Advanced Defence Studies Centre (CESEDEN)

The original design of the building that houses the CESEDEN dates from the end of the 19th century, by the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco; it was designed to house the National School for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind of Madrid. It is a longitudinal building that combines exposed red brick with the white of the entrance and cornices. It is an extraordinary example of the best eclectic architecture in Madrid, which even today, more than a century after its construction, plays a representative role in the urban scene of the capital's main thoroughfare, the Paseo de la Castellana. 

The building has undergone several alterations over the years, the first to house the headquarters of the National Pedagogical Museum, the Teacher Training College and the Board of Pedagogical Missions during the Second Republic. After the Civil War, reforms were carried out to convert it into the Higher School of the Armed Forces. That is to say, from the beginning, the teaching and pedagogical uses of this building were defined and have been maintained to the present day.