Marina Miceli
Europe Press Office,London
La Plaza de la Encarnación, a medieval convent later used as a market and neglected for decades, has opened its doors as a multi-use urban development – Metropol Parasol.
The Metropol Parasol structure made its debut in front of neighbours and tourists, amid a spectacular display of lights, colour and music.
On Sunday 27 March the mayor of Seville, Alfredo Sanchez Monteseirín, officially opened the Metrosol Parasol structure in the centre of the city. The development has been creating anticipation among the citizens of Seville and local, national and international press.
The mayor pointed out that though the project was launched during an economic boom and completed in a time of financial crisis, it is still "an excellent tool for generating economic activity and creating employment in Seville." He reiterated the opinions of industry experts, stating that the direct and indirect economic benefits that the new development will bring to the city will exceed the initial investment in the project in just one year.
The inauguration was celebrated with a performance by the Municipal Symphonic Orchestra.
Later in the evening the people of Seville were given the chance to visit the new Antiquarium Museum which houses Roman ruins found on site.
La Plaza de la Encarnación, a medieval convent later used as a market and neglected for decades, has opened its doors as a multi-use urban development – Metropol Parasol.
Since 2004, Arup’s Madrid office has being participating in the exciting Metropol Parasol project, developing the unique multi-use structure in the city of Seville. The final result is a great achievement given the importance and complexity of the project.
Jose de la Peña, the Project Director for Arup, said, "Constructions of this nature always create a great impact, and are always debated in the respective cities, a past example being the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I am certain that now the city of Seville is proud to have a new symbol of modernity and technology, the only symbol of its kind, never seen before in any other part of the world."