The rehabilitation of the French Institute in Barcelona: How far can it go?

BarcelonaIntervening in a signature building is often a very delicate matter. One of these more recent cases is that of the French Institute of Barcelona, ​​one of the most emblematic works of Josep Antoni Coderch (1913-1984). The owner, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is underway with a renovation and refurbishment project whose scope is dividing the Barcelona architecture sector. There is consensus that maintenance work is needed to bring the building up to date and improve its energy efficiency, but the ministry's desire to relocate the French consulate to Barcelona and install a cafeteria is raising a storm, although the French authorities and those responsible for the institute itself are handling the project discreetly. work of the Freaks Architecture studio, which won the corresponding competition in 2023.

According to the competition rules obtained by ARA, which aims to create the Casa de Francia, the regulations to be followed would be French, because the French Institute is considered a diplomatic building, which could be "adapted" to local regulations. Regarding the consulate, the rules establish that access must be separated from the flow of students and resident artists. The artist residencies would be located on the first floor and must have direct access from outside or through one of the common areas. The French Institute's offices would be on the sixth floor, and the consulate's services would be on the seventh. The consul's office and those of his collaborators would be on the eighth floor, where Coderch designed a home to be occupied by the Institute's director.

In addition, the competition rules include the renovation of the auditorium and the two underground parking levels. Finally, the "complete restoration" of all the facades is also planned, "taking into account that the building is the work of architect Coderch," as stated in the competition rules.

The controversial changes

The most controversial aspect of wanting to install the consulate in the building, according to sources familiar with the project, is the construction of an evacuation staircase that would be visible from the outside. This would be necessary to create a unique route for consulate users, but which would transform the building's characteristic monolithic appearance. "It's a question of common sense: if installing the consulate requires modifying the volume of the building, is this the best place to put it?" warns Josep Maria Boronat, president of the Association of Architects for the Defense and Intervention in Architectural Heritage (AADIPA) of the Spanish Association of Architects. Instead, those responsible for Arquin-FAD have chosen the building as the theme for the 37th Habitàcola Awards, encouraging architecture and design students to propose new "possibilities for reusing and redefining elements" of the building. "All heritage is modifiable. A building cannot be frozen," says architect Marc Aureli Santos. "When a building is renovated, it's about understanding its values ​​and interpreting them. Those of the French Institute have a lot to do with the façade, and they can be maintained by changing the window frames and building a staircase, if done carefully and with respect for the original architecture," adds Santos. Furthermore, the building's image will also change if the window frames are carelessly replaced with thicker ones, or if sun protection is installed on the windows.

Sources at the French consulate, currently located in an apartment on Barcelona's Ronda Universidad, simply state that the project is in a "very preliminary" phase and that they are studying with the local authorities how it might take shape. They also emphasize their appreciation for the building. "Under no circumstances is the purpose of altering the image of the building. Josep Antoni Coderch is a master whom we greatly admire and for whom we have great affection. Therefore, we are reflecting on how to best carry out this potential project," say the same sources. ARA has attempted to contact the management of the French Institute, the French Embassy in Spain, and the Freaks Architecture studio, but has received no response.

Regarding the response from Barcelona City Council, municipal sources state that they are "aware" of the building's architectural value. For now, the City Council is in the process of creating a new architectural committee to evaluate the project's quality. Furthermore, it could be that all this involves a certain administrative process: to modify the building's volume, a building permit would not be sufficient and a special plan would have to be implemented.

A building in the process of being catalogued

Another aspect of this case is that the French Institute, like many other buildings, is not listed, which would have served to determine the extent of the interventions. In the 19th and 20th century architectural heritage analysis commissioned by the Department of Culture in 2017, the proposed level of protection is that of a cultural asset of local interest (BCIL), lower than other Coderch works, such as various apartment blocks in Barcelona and Torres Trade.

When consulted by ARA, sources from the Department of Culture affirm that they are evaluating and studying which of Coderch's works are likely to be protected as cultural assets of national interest (BCIN) in order to prioritize their listing based on fragility, state of conservation, or both factors. However, for now, the French Institute "was not considered one of those possible." Even so, the same sources warn that "in the event of any actions that could damage the heritage values ​​of the element, it would be necessary to assess whether it is advisable to carry out a possible BCIN (National Institute of Cultural Interest) or whether it would be more appropriate to protect the element as a BCIL (National Institute of Cultural Interest) so that Barcelona City Council, within its powers, could assess its future action."

However, according to Josep Maria Boronat, the possibility of being able to build the staircase would not depend on whether the building is protected as a cultural asset of local or national interest, but rather on how this protection is applied. "Just because it's not listed doesn't mean it doesn't have value," says Boronat, who, in the latest AADIPA heritage course, dedicated to Coderch, called for his legacy to be protected "in its entirety," meaning both the facades and the interiors.