Llibertat Town Market Refurbishment
The restoration of this listed building was awarded with the 2012 World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) Gold Award, among other prizes.
Location: Plaça de la Llibertat, 27, Barcelona | Catalonia
Built space: 5.211 m2
Developer: Municipal Markets Institute | Barcelona Town Council
Development: 2005 – 2009
Budget: 7.050.000 € (market); 1.865.000 € (interim market)
Intervention: Preliminary plans, Basic & Implementation projects and site management. Basic & Implementation projects and site management for the interim market
The Llibertat Town Market, which occupies a full building block of the Gràcia District in Barcelona, was originally designed and built in 1888 by architects Miquel Pascual Tintorer and Francesc Berenguer Mestres. It is actually protected as a Cultural Interest in the Local Architectural Historic Artistic Heritage Catalog of the city of Barcelona.
With the aim of using the building as an engine of urban and commercial transformation, the refurbishment preserved the historic building, restoring it but also maintaining the traditional market uses and adapting them to new needs, adding other commercial uses.
The refurbishment of its commercial structure and the increase of the market area from 2,200 to 4,400 m2 has allowed the incorporation of new services such as underground parking and a self-service area (supermarket). The introduction of new logistics areas for traders and shop-keepers such as storage, loading and unloading spaces and a waste management area (all of them in the basement) has been a qualitative increase in the daily operation of the equipment.
The project also provided the design and implementation of the interim market which accommodated the market during the market refurbishment works.
Once its renovation has ended, the building has been given the 2012 Gold Award of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) and received the Diploma of Excellence of the European Institute of Public Administration.
