Sleeper March/April 2010

MEETING…PATRICIA URQUIOLA
recommended her to the building’s owner companies were interested but something ABOVE: The Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is
Maria Reig. As the main investor, Reig was clicked for Mandarin Oriental,” he says. “As a
housed in a former bank on the Passeig de Gràcia
OPPOSITE: Entrance is via a stunning ﬂoating
searching for someone who could bring booming destination for meetings, congresses,
catwalk in the light-drenched atrium
something extra to her plans to transform tourism and art, Barcelona was very important
what was previously the head ofﬁce of a bank to the brand.”
into a ﬁve-star property. “It turned out she While the 1950s Catalan façade has been
was a fan of my furniture so we spoke a lot left untouched stylistically, architects Carlos
about how she wanted this strong building to Ferrater and Juan Trias de Bes have made
become a public space with iconic elements some major changes to the former bank
that would be interesting to everyone in the while retaining its symmetrical simplicity.
city,” Urquiola says. Beginning at the end of 2006, construction
The site has a rich history dating back has involved major feats of engineering as the
to the late 1800s when it was frequented ground-ﬂoor façade has been set back off the
by Catalan bourgeoisie as the centre of pavement, new stairwells inserted, an entrance
the Equestrian Circle. A period as the ramp installed and the atrium opened up.
headquarters of a local Trade Union followed “We thought hard about the building’s
before damage caused during the Civil War relationship to the city,” says de Bes. “As a
resulted in a new building being erected by youngster, I recall accompanying my father
architect Manuel Galíndez, after which the to this big, bold room where cashiers would
location served as a bank. The hotel’s General serve customers and bank employees looked
Manager Luís Marcó, who spent many years down from their small ofﬁces above. You see,
with Ritz-Carlton, remembers inspecting the the space is well-known in Barcelona so we
location on behalf of Bvlgari Hotels. “Several wanted to create an entrance that would
030 MARCH / APRIL 2010 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM MARCH / APRIL 2010
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