Mercat Encants | b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos

Mercat Encants Designed by b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, Els Encants in Barcelona is a centenarian marketplace, which has traditionally been set outdoors in an informal way. Its current location is not far from the market’s new grounds and is going to occupy the junction of Merdiana Avenue with Las Glorias Square. The project’s main objective was to maintain the open nature of the current outdoor market Els Encants.  The limited size of the new grounds (8,000 m2) was a great constraint, as the commercial programme was more than double that area.

photography by © Rafael Vargas

Its design intends to avoid building multiple floors thus rejecting the model of a commercial center. Instead of that, a continuous commercial area was designed, with slightly inclined planes intertwining and generating an endless loop which links stalls and small shops. The visitor’s experience is similar to a stroll along a pedestrian road. By bending the square deck, the different levels of the streets around the perimeter are reconciled; therefore the levels of the various entrances are blurred once inside the market.

The great casing suspended as a canopy almost 25 meter high is a prominent landmark and protects shopkeepers and users from the sunlight. The casing is arranged by variable-width bands. Its underside presents different inclinations and becomes a mechanism of reflection of the city in the market.
The building has two underground levels. The first one is for the logistic needs of the market and the second one houses a public car park for the users.

photography by © Rafael Vargas

Project Info:
Architects: b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos
Location: Avinguda Meridiana, 69, 08018 Barcelona, Spain
Design Team: Fermín Vázquez, Francesc de Fuentes, Cristina Algas, Sonia Cruz, Guillermo Weiskal, Albert Freixes, Gemma Ojea, Javier Artieda, Angel Gaspar, Oriol Roig, Juan Pablo Porta, Leonardo Novelo Jorge Mascaray, Francisco Marques, Helia Pires, Elies Porta, Tosca Salinas, Myriam Gonzalez, Nastascha Gergoff, Egbert Oosterhoff
Area: 35440.0 m2
Project Year: 2013
Photographs: Rafael Vargas
Manufacturers: Lamp, ULMA Architectural Solutions
Project Name: Mercat Encants