Restoration and Conservation Works at the Plaza de España in Seville
Spain is among the countries with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, boasting a rich cultural and architectural legacy spread throughout its territory. Preserving this heritage for the enjoyment of future generations is both a duty and a responsibility. This remarkable and attractive heritage is also one of the pillars of the cultural tourism industry, contributing to sustainable growth.
KALAM specializes in the conservation and restoration of historic buildings and cultural heritage. In the city of Seville, we have an operational center from which we have carried out interventions on the Cathedral complex—at different stages, including the restoration of the Church of El Sagrario and La Giralda—as well as on other nearby landmarks, such as the façade restoration of the Banco Santander headquarters on Avenida de la Constitución, among other projects.
More recently, we have also completed restoration work on the Plaza de España in Seville. To ensure its conservation and maintenance, the Spanish State Heritage Directorate commissioned these restoration and rehabilitation works to address deteriorated or at-risk areas of this renowned Regionalist-style monument, designed by architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition in Seville.
This monument, designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest, stands out as a showcase of traditional construction and decorative ceramic techniques, skillfully combined with coffered ceilings, wrought ironwork, repoussé metalwork, and marble masonry.
Our intervention covered various areas of the building through careful planning and logistics, ensuring the monument remained in use throughout the process.
A key aspect of the project was the recovery and restoration of numerous ceramic ornamental elements on the façades. Missing tiles were replaced with handcrafted replicas, faithfully reproducing their original patterns and pictorial designs. Other missing decorative elements, such as low-relief clay carvings, balusters, crestings, and volumetric finials, were also reproduced using traditional techniques, with molds created to achieve identical shapes and finishes.
Additionally, significant work was carried out in brick restoration, including the carving of curved and corner pieces to reintegrate column bases, reliefs, and masonry surfaces.
Finally, the project scope included repairs to structural elements such as floors and roofs, crack and fissure remediation on walls, as well as maintenance and adjustments to certain wooden joinery elements.
These restoration efforts are essential for the proper conservation of the building, which, in addition to being a well-known and highly visited urban landmark, serves multiple functions within its interior.
