One of the architectural jewels of the Ciutadella park will undergo a necessary restoration. After the rehabilitation and reopening at the end of last year of its sister building, the Hivernacle, in the not too distant future it will be the turn of the Umbracle. The City Council has recently put out to tender the work for drafting the project and managing the work to restore this emblematic space. The municipal forecast is that the action will be completed during the mandate of the Collboni government, placing the start of the works at the end of the first quarter of 2026 and finishing them 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 good tune-up and looks somewhat deteriorated. In this kind of paradise for plants from different origins of the planet, some bushes outside grow uncontrollably along the façade and many pieces of wood are in poor condition. It has also suffered incivility with some graffiti and a camping tent spread out on the grass for homeless people can be seen right next to the side of the building that faces Picasso Walk.
“It is true that this place needs a good facelift, but fortunately the situation is not as critical as it was at the Hivernacle, which was much more degraded with broken windows. Here you can still enjoy the space,” acknowledges Marc, a resident of Born while walking his dog. “It could be better cared for, but at least it is still visitable. Maybe I would put more benches inside to better contemplate the plants!” adds Júlia, after visiting this building for the first time.
The last major restoration effort was decades ago, in 2008, when its large metal structure was repaired, the wooden latticework was changed and the interior facades were restored. Future work will focus on both the exterior and the interior, with the rehabilitation of the roof, the facades, its structure and pavements with the aim of “repairing the various existing pathologies” and recovering its “original appearance”, it is detailed. in municipal documentation. The estimated value of the contract amounts to 141,271.05 euros.
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 in the area during the works to prevent them from being damaged. On the other hand, the building sits on the old layout of the medieval irrigation canal of the Rec Comtal, so the project determines that for any intervention in the subsoil where the existence of archaeological remains is expected, it will be necessary to take “all possible precautions.” .
The umbracle, with a surface area of ??1,320 meters built, is one of the historical pieces that was part of the scientific and museum program of the park along with the recently remodeled Hivernacle, after more than a decade closed, and the Museu Martorell, the first public museum from the city. The promotion of these projects is part of the ambitious Ciutadella del Coneixement project, a scientific hub to which must be added the pending rehabilitation of the Castell dels Tres Dragons – one of the scientific headquarters of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona – and the research and innovation complex that will be built on the site of the old Mercat del Peix, with the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and new UPF offices.
The construction of the Umbracle, with a level of protection B as a cultural asset of local interest, has been the contribution of different architects. His idea was born around 1870 with the conception of the new Ciutadella park and the winning project was that of Josep Fontseré i Mestres, definitively approved in November 1883. The building was not yet finished, within the framework of the preparations for the At the Universal Exhibition of 1888, Jaume Gustà renovated it in 1886 to use it as a large hall for parties and conferences. Later, the architect Elias Rogent was in charge of directing the works for the exhibition and entrusted the completion of this space to Josep Amargós i Samaranch, just as Fontseré had envisioned. This architectural jewel awaits a new boost to recover its splendor.