One of the architectural jewels of the Ciutadella park will undergo a necessary restoration. After the rehabilitation and reopening of its sister building, the Hivernacle, at the end of last year, in the not too distant future it will be the turn of the Umbracle. The Barcelona City Council has recently tendered the work for the drafting of the project and the construction management to restore this unique space. The municipal forecast is that the action will be completed this term, placing the beginning of the works at the end of the first quarter of 2026 and the end in the middle of the second quarter of 2027.
Although the umbrella is open to the public with limited hours during the week, the truth is that it needs a tune-up and looks a little run down. In this kind of paradise for plants from different origins on the planet, some bushes outside grow out of control on the facade and quite a few trees are in poor condition. The building has also suffered incivility with some graffiti and on one side there is a tent deployed on the lawn for homeless people. “It is true that this place needs a good facelift, but fortunately the situation is not as critical as it was in the Hivernacle, which was much more degraded with broken glass”, acknowledges Marc, a resident of Born, while walk your dog “It could be better looked after, although at least it is still open to visitors”, adds Júlia, after visiting the building for the first time.
The last major restoration was a long time ago, in 2008, when its large metal structure was repaired, the wooden lattice was replaced and the interior facades were restored. The future works will focus on both the exterior and the interior, with the rehabilitation of the roof, the facades, the structure and the pavements with the aim of “repairing the various existing pathologies” and recovering their “appearance original”, detailed in the municipal documentation. In addition, it is planned to install a new irrigation, lighting and electrical system. The tender also specifies that it will be “essential” to protect the plant species of the site during the works to prevent them from being damaged. The estimated value of the contract amounts to 141,271.05 euros.
The Umbracle, with an area of ??1,320 m2, is one of the historical pieces that formed part of the park’s scientific and museum program together with the recently remodeled Hivernacle, closed after more than a decade, and the Martorell Museum, the first public museum of the city. The impetus for these projects is part of the ambitious Ciutadella del Coneixement project, a scientific hub to which the pending rehabilitation will also have to be added for this term of the Castell dels Tres Dragons – one of its scientific Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona – and the research and innovation complex that will be built on the site of the old Fish Market, with the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC- Pompeu Fabra University) and new branches of the UPF.
