The Gòtic palace that concentrates "the entire history of Barcelona"

BarcelonaThe Palau Requesens was built between the 13th and 15th centuries on top of Barcelona's Roman wall, but so many alterations were made throughout the 20th century that, from a heritage perspective, it is considered a historical forgery. Its transformation and recognition as a monument occurred at different times, beginning with the opening of Via Laietana and the creation, driven by the political desire to capitalize on the splendor of medieval Barcelona, ​​of the so-called Gothic Quarter. Thus, when the Royal Academy of Belles Lettres and the Monuments Commission obtained the usufruct of the palace in 1917, the architect Josep Domènech i Mansana carried out a restoration focused primarily on the courtyard, where he reconstructed battlements, arches, the staircase, a lobed window, and probably the gallery. To accomplish this, he mixed fragments found in municipal warehouses with new construction. According to the geographer and Doctor of Art History Agustín Cócola Gante, it is difficult to distinguish what is "original" from what is new. "The entire history of the city of Barcelona is concentrated in this building," says architect Martina Fabré of Taller de Arquitectura Les Golfes, responsible for the building's upcoming renovation along with the Brullet de Luna studio. The space will become the new headquarters of the Institution of Catalan Letters and will also house the three professional organizations in the sector (AELC, PEN Català, and ACEC) and two other entities dedicated to literary promotion: Espais Escrits (Catalan Literary Heritage Network) and IBBYcat (the Catalan Council for Children's Books). The Royal Academy of Belles Lettres will maintain its location within the Palau Requesens and will continue to occupy the main floor. The works are scheduled to go out to tender in mid-2026 with the aim of starting before the end of the year, with a budget of 4.8 million euros for the renovation. Thus, the plan is for this House of Letters to open its doors in 2028.

The historical interventions of Adolf Florensa and Camil Pallàs

The transformations of the palace, which is listed as a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN), continued in the 1950s, when the architect Adolf Florensa, between 1953 and 1958, reconstructed the rear façade on the city wall, raised and completed the tower, and added new mullioned windows, among other interventions. A third restoration followed, carried out between 1964 and 1972 by the architect Camil Pallàs, who sought to "restore the original layout" of the building by removing additions and thoroughly restoring it. Again, Pallàs blended old remains with new pieces, aiming to reinforce its medieval appearance.

Given so many historical layers, how did Martina Fabré and her colleagues approach the intervention? "Our position is to understand that everything that has been added to this building is part of it, and we read it as a palimpsest," says the architect. "We aim to carry out an intervention that allows for a complex understanding of the layers of history that have accumulated over time. The challenge is significant," he adds, "because we are working on a listed building and at the same time we must guarantee universal accessibility and sustainability. We must preserve all the elements that have artistic and heritage value, eliminating architectural barriers." Thus, the result is "being able to read the building's structure." "What is most important is the idea of intervening in the heritage site in an efficient and reversible way," Fabré emphasizes. "Therefore, we are using dry construction methods and wood, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive understanding of the building. The palace has always been built piecemeal, and now, for the first time, it can be read in its entirety, despite any existing divisions."

Details of the Brullet de Luna and Les Golfes proposal

Among the highlights of the architectural project is "a unique lobby on the ground floor," according to the statement released by the Department of Culture, to centralize access to the multipurpose auditorium, the offices, and a new bar open to the public, connected to the courtyard. Another key feature is the new vertical circulation core, which will utilize the former light well and transform it into "a skylight to provide natural light and connect all levels." The Royal Academy of Belles Lettres will maintain its headquarters in the Palau Requesens and will be located on the first floor. Its library will be reconfigured as "a large, double-height space." It will also restore the grandeur of the Gothic arches and increase its functionality without altering the historical volume. The second and third floors, designated for the House of Letters, will house the new offices of the various organizations and the Institution of Catalan Letters, located along the façade to take advantage of natural light. And the services and installations will be placed within the thickness of the walls. "We aim to free up all the spaces of a more substantial nature, and therefore, despite the storage, all the installations and services are concentrated within the walls so that the space remains uncluttered," says Fabré. Furthermore, the new wall thickness, called poached This is characteristic of palace architecture. Finally, the architects will restore the neoclassical garden fountain and plant vegetation on the roofs to reduce the heat.