Intro

About

In this first stage, the catalogue focuses on the modern and contemporary architecture designed and built between 1832 –year of construction of the first industrial chimney in Barcelona that we establish as the beginning of modernity– until today.

The project is born to make the architecture more accessible both to professionals and to the citizens through a website that is going to be updated and extended. Contemporary works of greater general interest will be incorporated, always with a necessary historical perspective, while gradually adding works from our past, with the ambitious objective of understanding a greater documented period.

The collection feeds from multiple sources, mainly from the generosity of architectural and photographic studios, as well as the large amount of excellent historical and reference editorial projects, such as architectural guides, magazines, monographs and other publications. It also takes into consideration all the reference sources from the various branches and associated entities with the COAC and other collaborating entities related to the architectural and design fields, in its maximum spectrum.

Special mention should be made of the incorporation of vast documentation from the COAC Historical Archive which, thanks to its documental richness, provides a large amount of valuable –and in some cases unpublished– graphic documentation.

The rigour and criteria for selection of the works has been stablished by a Documental Commission, formed by the COAC’s Culture Spokesperson, the director of the COAC Historical Archive, the directors of the COAC Digital Archive, and professionals and other external experts from all the territorial sections that look after to offer a transversal view of the current and past architectural landscape around the territory.

The determination of this project is to become the largest digital collection about Catalan architecture; a key tool of exemplar information and documentation about architecture, which turns into a local and international referent, for the way to explain and show the architectural heritage of a territory.

Aureli Mora i Omar Ornaque
Directors arquitecturacatalana.cat

credits

About us

Project by:

Created by:

Directors:

2019-2025 Aureli Mora i Omar Ornaque

Documental Commission:

2019-2025 Ramon Faura Carolina B. Garcia Eduard Callís Francesc Rafat Pau Albert Antoni López Daufí Joan Falgueras Mercè Bosch Jaume Farreny Anton Pàmies Juan Manuel Zaguirre Josep Ferrando Fernando Marzá Moisés Puente Aureli Mora Omar Ornaque

Collaborators:

2019-2025 Lluis Andreu Sergi Ballester Maria Jesús Quintero Lucía M. Villodres Montse Viu

External Collaborators:

2019-2025 Helena Cepeda Inès Martinel

With the support of:

Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura

Collaborating Entities:

ArquinFAD

 

Fundació Mies van der Rohe

 

Fundación DOCOMOMO Ibérico

 

Basílica de la Sagrada Família

 

Museu del Disseny de Barcelona

 

Fomento

 

AMB

 

EINA Centre Universitari de Disseny i Art de Barcelona

 

IEFC

 

Fundació Domènench Montaner.

Design & Development:

edittio Nubilum
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We kindly invite you to help us improve the dissemination of Catalan architecture through this space. Here you can propose works and provide or amend information on authors, photographers and their work, along with adding comments. The Documentary Commission will analyze all data. Please do only fill in the fields you deem necessary to add or amend the information.

The Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya is one of the most important documentation centers in Europe, which houses the professional collections of more than 180 architects whose work is fundamental to understanding the history of Catalan architecture. By filling this form, you can request digital copies of the documents for which the Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya manages the exploitation of the author's rights, as well as those in the public domain. Once the application has been made, the Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya will send you an approximate budget, which varies in terms of each use and purpose.

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Responsable del tractament: Col·legi d Arquitectes de Catalunya 'COAC'
Finalitat del tractament: Tramitar la sol·licitud de còpies digitals dels documents dels quals l’Arxiu Històric del COAC gestiona els drets d'explotació dels autors, a més d'aquells que es trobin en domini públic.
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Drets de les persones interessades: Accedir, rectificar i suprimir les seves dades, així com, l’exercici d’altres drets conforme a l’establert a la informació addicional.
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In Pictures

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  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

  • Torre Nova de Cal Pons

Memory

Torre Nova was completed in 1897. It is a square building with two polygonal bodies – one to the east, where the main entrance is located, and the other to the west in the form of a tribune. It has a ground floor, two storeys and an attic. The exterior is completely plastered, although the façade is currently in very poor condition. The only decoration is on the doors and windows and is clearly Gothic in style, with floral decorations, medieval bestiary decorations and gargoyles. The openings are also framed by mouldings reminiscent of the pattern of the old tower (BIPPC 36).
The decorative repertoire in the interior is noteworthy, especially in the vestibule, where allegorical themes are depicted on the continents. The halls are profusely decorated with themes appropriate to their functions.

The driving force behind Cal Pons - one of the most interesting industrial colonies in Catalonia in terms of town planning and architecture - was Josep Pons i Enrich, born in Manresa in 1811, descendant of a Manresa family linked to the silk industry during the 18th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, Josep Pons became an important cotton industrialist who was also a politician, founder of the Caja de Manresa and promoter of the Manresa railway in Berga. In 1875, Josep Pons bought the land of Cal Garrigal - which he later extended with the purchase of more land from surrounding country houses - with the intention of building an industrial colony. The following year he obtained permission for the industrial use of water from the Llobregat river and then had the lock, the canal, the turbine hall and the factory built, which was inaugurated in 1880. One of the most important buildings at Cal Pons, due to the services it housed, was the one built next to the church in 1893. This space included the school, the nuns‘ convent, the girls’ residence and the theatre. However, the most emblematic buildings - due to their spectacular nature - of the colony were and still are others: the church and the owners' towers. The church, inaugurated in 1887, was described by the press of the time as the ‘Cathedral of the Alt Llobregat’. The two towers, located around a garden, were built before 1885 (the old one) and in 1897 (the new one). The whole of the colony under construction was surrounded by a wall about two metres high with three gates and two doors. The gatekeepers and the watchman ensured that no worker entered or left the perimeter of the colony after 20.00 or 21.00 (depending on the time of year). This wall was demolished during the Civil War and was never rebuilt.
In 1893, Josep Pons i Enrich died, and three years later, his heir, Ignasi Pons, too. From then until 1921, Lluís G. Pons, brother of the colony's founder, became the strong man of the family and the owner of Cal Pons. The situation of the colony - already built and consolidated - and the figure of the director of the factory - who controlled the economic functioning of the company and the maintenance of order and ‘social peace’ and who had his own villa from 1900 onwards - allowed Mr. Pons to focus on his political activity. It was during these years when Lluís Pons became the owner of Cal Pons that the paternalistic relationship with the workers was consolidated. Paternalism was based on an unwritten pact whereby the owner offered work, a flat, food, services, stability and security to his workers in exchange for them working, obeying and not breaking the ‘social peace’.
Like most of the colonies in Berguedà, Cal Pons remained in full swing and full of life until the 1960s. From then on, things began to evolve rapidly. The factory continued to operate until 1992, but from the 1970s, and especially during the 1980s, the signs of the crisis in the textile sector were felt and the colony model also went into decline: many people left Cal Pons and the services were closing. With the closure of the factory, the whole of the colony - except for the turbine - was repossessed. When it was put up for sale - by public auction at the end of the 1990s – the Puig-reig Town Council acquired a large part of the colony's spaces.

In 1908, King Alfonso XIII of Spain stayed in this house. It is now owned by the Puig-reig Town Council, which plans to locate the new municipal offices.

Source: Mapes de Patrimoni Cultural. Diputació de Barcelona (diba)

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Constellation

Chronology

  1. Torre Nova de Cal Pons

    autoria desconeguda

    Torre Nova de Cal Pons

    Torre Nova was completed in 1897. It is a square building with two polygonal bodies – one to the east, where the main entrance is located, and the other to the west in the form of a tribune. It has a ground floor, two storeys and an attic. The exterior is completely plastered, although the façade is currently in very poor condition. The only decoration is on the doors and windows and is clearly Gothic in style, with floral decorations, medieval bestiary decorations and gargoyles. The openings are also framed by mouldings reminiscent of the pattern of the old tower (BIPPC 36). The decorative repertoire in the interior is noteworthy, especially in the vestibule, where allegorical themes are depicted on the continents. The halls are profusely decorated with themes appropriate to their functions. The driving force behind Cal Pons - one of the most interesting industrial colonies in Catalonia in terms of town planning and architecture - was Josep Pons i Enrich, born in Manresa in 1811, descendant of a Manresa family linked to the silk industry during the 18th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, Josep Pons became an important cotton industrialist who was also a politician, founder of the Caja de Manresa and promoter of the Manresa railway in Berga. In 1875, Josep Pons bought the land of Cal Garrigal - which he later extended with the purchase of more land from surrounding country houses - with the intention of building an industrial colony. The following year he obtained permission for the industrial use of water from the Llobregat river and then had the lock, the canal, the turbine hall and the factory built, which was inaugurated in 1880. One of the most important buildings at Cal Pons, due to the services it housed, was the one built next to the church in 1893. This space included the school, the nuns‘ convent, the girls’ residence and the theatre. However, the most emblematic buildings - due to their spectacular nature - of the colony were and still are others: the church and the owners' towers. The church, inaugurated in 1887, was described by the press of the time as the ‘Cathedral of the Alt Llobregat’. The two towers, located around a garden, were built before 1885 (the old one) and in 1897 (the new one). The whole of the colony under construction was surrounded by a wall about two metres high with three gates and two doors. The gatekeepers and the watchman ensured that no worker entered or left the perimeter of the colony after 20.00 or 21.00 (depending on the time of year). This wall was demolished during the Civil War and was never rebuilt. In 1893, Josep Pons i Enrich died, and three years later, his heir, Ignasi Pons, too. From then until 1921, Lluís G. Pons, brother of the colony's founder, became the strong man of the family and the owner of Cal Pons. The situation of the colony - already built and consolidated - and the figure of the director of the factory - who controlled the economic functioning of the company and the maintenance of order and ‘social peace’ and who had his own villa from 1900 onwards - allowed Mr. Pons to focus on his political activity. It was during these years when Lluís Pons became the owner of Cal Pons that the paternalistic relationship with the workers was consolidated. Paternalism was based on an unwritten pact whereby the owner offered work, a flat, food, services, stability and security to his workers in exchange for them working, obeying and not breaking the ‘social peace’. Like most of the colonies in Berguedà, Cal Pons remained in full swing and full of life until the 1960s. From then on, things began to evolve rapidly. The factory continued to operate until 1992, but from the 1970s, and especially during the 1980s, the signs of the crisis in the textile sector were felt and the colony model also went into decline: many people left Cal Pons and the services were closing. With the closure of the factory, the whole of the colony - except for the turbine - was repossessed. When it was put up for sale - by public auction at the end of the 1990s – the Puig-reig Town Council acquired a large part of the colony's spaces. In 1908, King Alfonso XIII of Spain stayed in this house. It is now owned by the Puig-reig Town Council, which plans to locate the new municipal offices.
  2. Cal Pons Colony

    autoria desconeguda

    Cal Pons Colony

    The Pons colony is characterised by the fact that it is one of the textile colonies that was established and developed in a relatively short period of time (1875-1910), which gives it a great sense of unity. The two owners' towers, the director's tower and the church are the most emblematic buildings of Cal Pons, together with the garden. In 1908, King Alfonso XIII travelled to the Llobregat basin and paid a visit to the Pons colony. Church of Sant Josep The church has a Latin cross plan and is 32 metres long. The main nave is covered with a ribbed vault, and the side chapels act as buttresses for the central nave. At the intersection of the main nave and the transept there is an octagonal dome. The polygonal apse has an ambulatory that leads to the crypt and the sacristy. In 1879, the isolated bell tower was erected and in 1907 the family pantheon was built, where Lluís Pons i Enrich and his wife, Anna Roca, were buried. Externally, the church has a haughty appearance reinforced by the dome, the bell tower and the set of pinnacles. The main façade, facing south, is made of well-cut ashlars, while the rest of the building harmoniously combines rubble stone with brick. It is a neo-Gothic building that was constructed in sixteen months, the work of the architect Josep Torres i Argullol. The interior was decorated by Francesc Morell, brother of the factory manager at the time. School, convent, theatre and girls' home. The buildings have two storeys: the ground floor was used as a school and the upper floor was used as a convent, the priest's home and the residence for working girls. Like the rest of the buildings in the colony, the construction materials used were stone for the walls and brick for the windows and doors. The old tower (a fortified town before 1885) and the new tower (inaugurated in 1897) are monumental buildings in a medieval historicist style. They were designed as medieval castles surrounded by gardens. The old tower was the first to be built. It is a solid but slender building, with a very marked central body. The Catalan spiral staircase stands out. It is eclectic in style with a Gothic influence. The new tower is a large construction built on a rock at the end of the colony's gardens. In its structure, the central body predominates over both sides. The main façade, with a double staircase, faces north. The exterior walls combine brick, plaster and mosaics. It has many medieval-style decorative details: capitals with bestiary, floral decoration, gargoyles, blind arches on the eaves of the roof, etc. In the entrance hall there are allegorical paintings that refer to the continents of America, Africa, Asia and Europe. It is a landscape in the background with a female figure who brings some element that refers to each continent. In the representation of Europe, the background landscape is the Pons colony seen from the foot of the Llobregat. It was initially the continuous residence of the owners, later it served as a second residence and in the mid-20th century the furniture was auctioned off and it was converted into a towel factory. The architect of these two buildings is unknown. However, it seems that it could have been Josep Torres i Argullol or Alexandre Soler i March, architects who worked for the Pons family. The director's villa was built before 1900, it is more austere and smaller, and its architect is also unknown. The garden When the colony was designed, the intention was to turn the estate into an enclosed garden that would isolate it from the outside world. The garden was for the private use of the owners of the colony and the director's family. But when the Pons family were not there, the workers could use the garden and the adjoining forest. In this space there was a great diversity of plant species (some of which have since disappeared): banana trees, lime trees, mulberry trees, trumpet trees, horse chestnut trees, palm trees, poplars, holm oaks, fir trees... In the private garden of the new tower, two 1900s gazebos made of brick and wood stand out, overlooking the Llobregat river and the colony. Until the 1950s and 1960s, the colony was the most active cultural centre in the municipality of Puig-reig. The magazine “Colònia Pons” was published and the Home School and the School of Labour linked to the Industrial School of Barcelona were created. The factory workers received training that was truly cutting edge at the regional level. On 25 March 1886, construction began on the church of the Pons colony dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat. It was consecrated on 10 August 1897. It was built at the same time as the large factory, the workers' housing and the two towers. In the mid-20th century, and especially in the wake of the Spanish Civil War, the towers where the owners resided were abandoned and a progressive deterioration of the cultural activities and the park, which had an interesting collection of exotic birds, began. The moments of splendour of the Pons colony coincide with the early days of its existence, between 1880 and 1930.

Related Works

Set Colònia Cal Pons

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