The arrival of the America's Cup has been the perfect excuse to accelerate projects that needed a final push. With an investment of 120 million euros, the Port Vell is undergoing a transformation to show its best face when spectators approach to see the regatta boats. At the end of the Paseo de Joan de Borbó, one of its appendices has just premiered a new appearance after years of neglect. These are the old sheds of the Muelle Oriental, buildings more than 100 years old in front of the W hotel that will now be used for hospitality activities organized by the Port of Barcelona during the nautical competition.
The sheds of the Muelle Oriental emerged with the expansion of the port at the beginning of the 20th century, built shortly before the Portal de la Pau. They accompanied a naval repair dock that was created to serve facilities that were an international power. The years have seen how their interior mutated and went through many lives, accommodating a coal bunker and a carpentry shop, but also workshops, offices, warehouses, and even workers' homes.
The agreement reached by the Port of Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council in 2018 to move cruise ships away from the urban fabric also included opening more spaces to residents. The recovery of the old sheds was fitted in there, with the commission for their basic project arriving just one year later. "It was a great decision," remarks the director of Port Vell, David Pino.
With an investment of 7.3 million euros, the works began in March last year and have been completed on the eve of the regatta. The companies Copisa, Constructora Pinenaica, and Natury System have been in charge of the works. "The America's Cup had to be an opportunity and this will be one of the pieces of its legacy," says the first deputy mayor of Barcelona, Laia Bonet.
The works have maintained the aesthetics of century-old buildings but have solved structural deficiencies and adapted them to new needs. According to the project director, Gemma Peñalver, open-plan and multifunctional spaces have been created, mixing metallic and wooden elements, with a predominance of white. In addition, two of the four naves have been joined with a portico to create an entrance that distributes visitors.
Of the four available warehouses, three will initially be used for the hospitality of the port community, with the forecast of hosting temporary cultural uses once the regatta passes, as detailed by the president of the Port de Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó. The fourth warehouse will be used for the maritime station of the expected nautical bus that is about to be launched, designed for both tourists and workers in an area that was previously a bit disconnected. Operated by Alsa, it will depart from Moll de Drassanes, at the foot of the Columbus statue, until it reaches the Nova Bocana.