The secret library of Barcelona

By avro | avroiphoneography | 17 May 2021


Every city has hidden secrets even for its own inhabitants.  In Barcelona, ​​on the Ciutadella campus of the Pompeu i Fabra University, we have one of the most unique libraries that I have visited, and that until a few years ago I did not know of its existence.

Toda ciudad tiene secretos ocultos hasta para sus propios habitantes. En Barcelona, en el campus de la Ciutadella de la Universidad Pompeu i Fabra, tenemos una las bibliotecas más singulares que he visitado, y que hasta hace unos pocos años no sabía de su existencia.

The special thing about this space is that it starts from the rehabilitation of an old industrial building built in 1874, with the function of being a water tank in height, which regulated the flow of water from the ornamental waterfalls of the Ciutadella Park.

Lo especial de este espacio, es que parte de la rehabilitación de un antiguo edificio industrial construido en el año 1874, con la función de ser un depósito de agua en altura, que regulaba el caudal de agua de las cascadas ornamentales del parque de la Ciutadella.

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This 67-meter square building is structured by a parallelism of brick walls 1 meter thick and 14 meters high, forming alignments of arches that are joined together by a barrel vault.  This robust structure allowed to support 13,000 tons of water on its deck.

Este edificio de planta cuadrada de 67 metros de lado, está estructurado por un paralelismo de muros de ladrillo de 1 metro de espesor y 14 de altura, formando alineaciones de arcos que de unen entre sí por una vuelta de cañón. Esta robusta estructura permitía soportar 13.000 toneladas de agua en su cubierta.

After several uses, once acquired by the University they decide to rehabilitate it to be used as a library, respecting the original structure.  The rehabilitation project was carried out by the architects Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio in 1999.

Después de varios usos, una vez adquirido por la Universidad deciden rehabilitarlo para ser utilizado como biblioteca, respetando la estructura original. El proyecto de rehabilitación, fue realizado por los arquitectos Lluís Clotet e Ignacio Paricio en el año 1999.

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The end result is a modern library within a historical industrial monument.  It transmits sensations similar to that of being inside a great cathedral.  The handling of various scales, the dimmed light and the austere texture of the brick, create an atmosphere conducive to reading.

El resultado final, es una moderna biblioteca dentro de un  monumento histórico industrial. Transmite sensaciones similares a la de estar dentro de una gran catedral. El manejo de diversas escalas, la luz atenuada y la textura austera del ladrillo, crean  una atmósfera propicia para la lectura.

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Undoubtedly, it is a library like few in the world, which deserves the effort of a trip to see it in person.

Sin duda, se trata de una biblioteca como pocas en el mundo, que merece el esfuerzo de una escapada para conocerla en persona.

Thank you very much for your time - Muchas gracias por vuestro tiempo.


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avro
avro

Architect, passionate about photography with iPhone and discovering the world through it, and a faithful believer in cryptos as well as investing in the stock market


avroiphoneography
avroiphoneography

In this blog you will find my vision of the world through the use of photography and video, made mostly with iPhone. I try to show the uniqueness of each country I visit, through its cities, its architecture, its urban planning, its public transport and its people. Architecture - Photography – iPhoneography - Travel

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