An Imaginary Visit to the Palace

architects Flores & Prats, Duch-Pizá
project Casal Balaguer Cultural Centre, Palma, Majorca, Spain
written by Anna Puigjaner

 

Some architecture is difficult to describe with words. The Balaguer Palace is such an example. One has to step into its rooms and feel the ambiences in order to get an idea of the space. A series of experiences of the in-between spaces which make up the palace are created through images interrupted by variable light.

 

Renovated as the future headquarters of Círculos de Bellas Artes, it is the work by Flores & Prats and the Duch-Pizà group. This building is placed in the very centre of Palma de Mallorca, in the Unió Street, in the immediate vicinity of the intersection with the very busy Born Promenade. A perplexed walker will perhaps overlook the strict appearance of the facade. The coat of arms, mounted on the facade during extensive interventions on the complex in the 18th century (ordered by Marquis del Reguer, one of the former owners of the palace), is no longer there.