Metropol Parasol

Driven by a lifelong mission to bring back the contemporary spirit of Seville’s city center, this oversized network of parasols sprouting along Plaza de la Encarnacion established itself as a unique urban space amid a dense inner fabric of medieval architecture.

Metropol Parasol is a massive timber structure – the largest of its kind in the world, designed to symbolize the cultural significance of Seville. Inspired by the vaults prominent in the Cathedral of Seville, Metropol Parasol is formed by connecting 8,000 timber pieces with steel and glue, eventually wrapped in a polyurethane coating. The articulate craftsmanship eminent to the resulting architectural structure activated social and economic activity in the existing plaza, generously offering sun protection like a series of giant, looming mushrooms.

Spanning at 150 x 70 meters and 26 meters high, the structure is distributed into four, multi-faceted levels. At the underground level, the Antiquarium offers a wide collection of Moorish and Roman remains found on-site. Restaurants and food stalls populating the Seville’s old central market then coincide at street level, eventually leading to its two upper floors designed as panoramic terraces. Here, visitors are offered a variety of social spaces such as tapas bars, concert views, and pedestrian zones looming over a magnificent view of the Andalusian capital.

Metropol Parasol with its title as one of the biggest and most innovative wooden structures ever built allowed each parasol to exist out of the present archeological excavation site where it stands – transforming a historical area into a contemporary landmark where the past, the present, and the future coexist.