The Palacio de Carlos V was conceived since 1562 as the residence of the emperor inside the Alhambra. It was seen as a symbol of the new christian power and Pedro Machuca was the one in charge of its construction. 

In 1993, the studio Frade Arquitectos received the refurbishment assignment. The studio had to redesign the interior of the building adapting it to its future needs as Museo de la Alhambra. 

The project proposed wanted to give back to the building its original unfinished structure, the one it had from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century. By doing this, the building would be able to tell its own story and show the different phases that it had experienced during all these years. At the same time it was very important to increase the museum useful floor area, as from the very beginning this was one of the main objectives of the restoration of the Palacio de Carlos V. 

The design and construction of the building were made looking for them to keep their essential values and quality despite the pass of time and trends. 

The studio considered as original structures the ones made during the 16th and 17th century, and in order to give a proper explanation of the history of the building, the changes made in the early 20th century were removed. 

Frade Arquitectos took into account that every project of these characteristics should always be made keeping in mind future possible interventions. This is the reason why all the changes made aimed to be reversible and respectful with the original building. 

During the refurbishment, important archeological findings were made and are now included in the collection of the museum and help understand a bit better the history of this great construction.