{"id":8169,"date":"2026-05-12T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=8169"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:17:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:17:18","slug":"metropol-parasol-wears-its-parametric-structure-on-its-sleeve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/metropol-parasol-wears-its-parametric-structure-on-its-sleeve\/","title":{"rendered":"Metropol Parasol wears its parametric structure “on its sleeve”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Metropol<\/div>\n

We continue our Parametricism<\/a> series by looking at Metropol Parasol by German architecture studio J Mayer H<\/a> and engineering firm Arup<\/a>, a flowing timber canopy perched above the historic Plaza de la Encarnaci\u00f3n in Seville<\/a>, Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Officially named Setas de Sevilla or Mushrooms of Seville, the fungi-shaped structure was completed in 2011 and contains food markets, bars, restaurants and an archaeological museum both within and beneath its canopy, which is topped by a winding walkway.<\/p>\n

\"Metropol
Metropol Parasol was designed by J Mayer H<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps better described as a piece of urban sculpture or furniture, the project represented a rare example of parametricism’s more fluid architectural forms being inserted directly into the heart of a historic cityscape \u2013 though not without controversy.<\/p>\n

Metropol Parosol’s boldly modern form \u2013 and the ballooning budget and schedule overruns incurred through achieving it \u2013 contributed to fierce local opposition that dogged the project from its announcement in 2004 until its opening in 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Metropol
The structure forms part of the rejuvenation of Plaza de la Encarnaci\u00f3n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The scheme’s origins lay in decades-long plans by the city of Seville to regenerate the Plaza de la Encarnaci\u00f3n. This once-bustling square had fallen into disrepair, and when the last of its market buildings was demolished in 1973, the area was fenced off.<\/p>\n

After the city pressed ahead with an unpopular office and parking garage scheme for the site in the 1990s, foundation works revealed the remains of a Roman settlement, halting progress and once again seeing the site left dormant.<\/p>\n

In 2003, an international competition was launched to revitalise the square’s historic use as a market with a scheme that would also incorporate a museum for the archaeological site. In 2004, J Mayer H<\/a>‘s Metropol Parosol was announced as the winner.<\/p>\n

\"Metropol
The timber structure was not hidden. Photo by Nikkol Rot for Holcim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the jury, the appeal of Mayer’s structure lay in the fact that it not only accommodated the necessary functions, but also acted as a form of public, urban catalyst and a tourist-attracting icon for the city.<\/p>\n

True to its futuristic appearance and parametricism’s interest in adaptive spaces, Mayer described the project to Icon magazine<\/a> as “an atmospheric cover for various forms of public activities still to be invented”.<\/p>\n