Savouring the new Fish Market

The building, designed by architects Lucía Ferrater and Carlos Ferrater (OAB) and Jesús Coll, blends into Barcelona's industrial port environment while connecting with the city.

Every day at the Fish Market in the Spanish Port of Barcelona, two auctions are held for the sales of the day's catch. The first is at 7 a.m. for the purse seine fleet, which catches blue fish such as sardines, mackerel, anchovies and horse mackerel. The second is at 4.45 p.m. for the trawl fleet, which catches prawns, crayfish, hake and monkfish. The auction is attended by wholesalers, fishmongers, supermarkets, restaurants, etcetera. Today, fishing is the only remaining primary sector in the city, making it an exceptional trade in the urban ecosystem. The Barcelona Fishermen's Guild fleet has 38 vessels, employing more than 300 professionals. This economic activity in the city, which is also part of Barcelona's gastronomic culture, is served by the new building designed by architects Lucía Ferrater and Carlos Ferrater (from the company OAB), together with architect Jesús Coll, which houses the various facilities.

Three large cubes clad in cast aluminium panels give the new architecture an industrial and port-like appearance. They are bold, volumetrically independent containers, linked by porches and walkways that ensure communication and protection for the catch. They also maintain the connection with the boat dock. The central block houses the management and administration offices of the fishermen's association. It is set back from the other two blocks and its west-facing facade opens onto an open courtyard around which the main entrances and functions are structured. The north block, located next to the entrance to the fishermen's quay and the clock tower, houses the fish auction facilities. The southern block houses the ice factory and, on the ground floor, the box warehouse and the canteen for the exclusive use of fishermen.

“Its design”, explains the OAB office, "optimises functionality and efficiency, incorporating sustainability criteria, renewable energies (with photovoltaic panels on the building's roofs) and local materials. Its integration into the port landscape reinforces its urban value, while its accessibility and transparency foster the link between the city and the sea."

With this intervention, they aim to combine respect for tradition with a contemporary vision and promote the resilience of the fishing sector in a context of port transformation.

The exterior of the Fish Market is notable for its corrugated cast aluminium cladding. According to the architects, this finish helps to create dynamism and a texture with a proportion that can be seen from a distance and nuances the joints between the panels. Its silver colour gives it a certain presence and quality, together with an industrial character.

OAB explains this choice: “Aluminium is a lightweight and indefinitely recyclable material, but when cast and in its first fusion, given its thickness (in this case 8 mm), it acquires a very high resistance to corrosion and therefore durability and consistency in its initial appearance.”

The panel was cast in a workshop from aluminium poured by gravity into steel moulds. In other words, the architects were able to design the piece themselves. Both the mould and the casting were made by a company located just 13 km from the port.

In addition to its essential functionality, the project adds a new relationship between Barcelona's brand new Fish Market and the city and its inhabitants. The previous office building of the fishermen's association, built in the mid-20th century, was hidden from view on the ‘Pescadores’ quay (the Fisherman’s quay). The current building can be admired and walked around from different perspectives, as it has been relocated to the adjacent Baleares quay.

A visible walkway designed by the architects starts next to the iconic Clock Tower, which dates back to 1904 and was previously the port's lighthouse since the 18th century. Today, it is above all a symbol that identifies both the Barceloneta neighbourhood and the fishing port of Barcelona.

It has been designed as a ramp and, when it reaches the top floor of the three blocks of the building, it wraps around them, providing access to some of the upper rooms, such as the future restaurant. Several transverse walkways allow visitors to walk to the opposite facade of the new facility and enjoy other views of the port, the sea and the city.

According to the Barcelona Port Authority, this was the only piece left to be built after the approval of the 1988 Port Vell Special Plan. "It was a pending issue for the transformation of the port, which had to allow the coexistence of the various activities carried out there, while also being able to integrate fishing activity into a citizen-friendly port environment. In this sense, the Fish Market is an architectural success that allows for this duality of industrial activity and open space for the city", they conclude.