The old sheds of the Eastern wharf, small architectural jewels from the early 20th century, abandoned for years, have been reborn from their ruins. The port of Barcelona has completed the comprehensive rehabilitation of these three buildings, to which a fourth will be added, still under construction, intended for a nautical bus station and which will open on July 1. After a complex and rapid intervention lasting just over a year, in which 7.3 million euros have been invested, the complex has recovered its lost splendor and sports an image that combines history and modernity. Initially it will be used as a meeting point for the port community on the occasion of the America’s Cup and at the end of the year it will be used for its definitive use: cultural open to the city.
The president of the port, Lluís Salvadó, participated in the presentation of the buildings, this Jew; the acting councilor for Culture, Natàlia Garriga, and the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet. All three have agreed to emphasize the quality of the reform, which has managed to recover an abandoned historical heritage asset for the enjoyment of citizens.
The action is part of the transformation of different spaces in Port Vell for the America’s Cup through twenty projects that add up to a global investment of 120 million euros contributed by the Port Authority and its concessionaires. The four properties are located on the promenade that leads to the new Nova Bocana viewpoint, inaugurated last November.
The sheds were built between 1904 and 1915 according to a project by engineer Julio Valdés y Humarán. Despite its port and industrial function, they incorporated decorative elements of modernist influence on the facades, which have been preserved. The exterior stands out for its different shades of white, which give it great luminosity. Throughout its more than one hundred years of life, the complex had different uses. The first was to support the dock behind it, which was dedicated to naval repair. It housed a coal warehouse, a carpentry shop, a small boat depot, a metallurgy workshop, housing for the crews of the ships that were being repaired, offices…
The renovation, carried out by a temporary union of the companies Copisa and Natur System, has not been easy since the buildings were in a dilapidated state and as the work progressed, difficulties arose, especially in the facades. The original idea of architect Pau Díez has been followed, who proposed joining the buildings through wooden porticos that are integrated into the original aesthetics. Inside, three large multipurpose rooms have been created, named after the activities they hosted in the past: Carbonera, Fusteria and Taller. The complex is known as Tinglados.
There are still no details about the cultural activity that these buildings will have. For now, between August and October, they will host the port’s hospitality for the America’s Cup. It will be operated by the events agency Altius Media Sports. It will be the scene of institutional and commercial visits, work sessions, conferences and dissemination days for the port community.