The convent of Sant Francesc, located in the town of Santpedor, was built at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1835, when the convent was sacked, the building began to deteriorate progressively, culminating in the demolition of the complex in the year 2000. Only the church remained standing, in a completely ruinous state.
The project aimed to convert the church into an auditorium and cultural centre. The work has consolidated the church without erasing the process of deterioration and collapse that the building had suffered. The project has made it possible to maintain the spatial values of the church's interior, with the unusual light entering through the partial collapses of the roofs, clearly differentiating the original construction from the new elements. The final result allows the building's most important historical wounds and spatial values to be read without renouncing the use of a contemporary language in the new elements proposed in the intervention.
The new volumes necessary for the functioning of the equipment (installation rooms or vertical accesses) have been placed between the interior and exterior of the building with the aim of preserving the unitary space of the nave of the church. The new accesses have been designed in such a way as to allow a complete circular route through the building, generating unique and diverse views.
The intervention has sought to preserve the historical legacy of the building while adding new features that enhance and distinguish the church of the former convent of Sant Francesc in a contemporary way.
In the future, a final phase is planned to complete the project by locating the municipality's historical archive on the upper floors on the south side of the church.
