From Crystal Palace to Concepció

The architect Antoni Rovira i Trias, also responsible for Sant Antoni Market, designed a tall open building, taking advantage of the new possibilities offered by the use of iron as a structural element. So, Concepció, along with Born and Libertat, was one of many municipal markets built in the final third of the 19th century that were inspired by buildings such as Crystal Palace in London and Les Halles in Paris. The use of metal frames rather than the traditional stone was one of the biggest changes in Catalan public architecture at the close of the century.

The building

The market is rectangular. It is 38 metres wide by 105 metres long, and covers an area of 4,010 square metres. It has three aisles or sections: a large central aisle 13 metres high and two, smaller side aisles. The pitched roof is made from glazed ceramic tiles and the walls are bare brick. Together these features make this an important example of public architecture from the end of the 19th century, combining Modernisme with the new construction systems.