The Municipality of Barcelona has announced an ambitious renovation project of the historic building Can Garcini farmlocated in the Guinardó quarter of Horta-Guinardó. With an investment 4 million eurosthis plan will not only preserve one of the most significant vestiges of the city’s agricultural past, but will also create a home for the elderly and will open to the public i estate gardenswhich will be renovated to become a new meeting place for residents of the area.
A project with history and future
The Garcini Towerknown for being one of the best preserved farmhouses in the area, dates back to the 18th century and is one unique testimony to the rural past of Barcelona. The main objective of this project is to renovate the farmhouserespecting its original structure and preserving key heritage elements, such as the ceramic tiles and hydraulic rajolas, which will be recycled and relocated to the first floor. Other emblematic elements such as the oven, fireplace and the pozzo. The intervention involves the construction of a multifunctional annexwhich will allow us to expand the farm’s activities, and the opening of gardens surrounding the farm, which will transform the space into a new one green lung for the Guinardó neighborhood. This project has long been requested by the neighbors, who fought for the Garcini Tower to be preserved and transformed into a space for public use.
Implementation calendar
The municipality plans to launch a tender for the works in the coming monthswhich should start instatus of 2025 and continue until the first quarter of 2027. During this period, work will be carried out on both the farmhouse and the gardens, with the aim of providing a new structure of 557 m² for the neighborhood elderly community.
The new Garcini Tower: a space for the community
The renovation of the Can Garcini farmhouse aims not only to preserve the historical memory of the building, but also to give it one new community function. The senior center will have various spacesincluding a computer room, a cooking laboratory, reading and game rooms and an outdoor gallery for various activities. This space will not only be a meeting place for the elderly, but also a point of reference for the entire community. THE’attached buildingwhich will be built next to the farmhouse, will have two floors and two multifunctional rooms. The ground floor will house a large double height roomwhich will serve as an assembly hall and will be directly connected to the gardens. The upper floor, however, will offer a more intimate space for private activities.
The gardens: a new green lung for the Guinardó area
Rehabilitation also includes intervention on gardens surrounding the farmhousewhich will be transformed into one public open space and accessible. The project involves the creation of different areas with different characteristics and functions:
- The Plaça de l’Era it will be the central space of the gardens, connected to the Garcini passage.
- The floral laboratory it will be a complement to the activities of the farmhouse, allowing the elderly to dedicate themselves to gardening.
- A shade garden it will become a new urban ecosystem that promotes biodiversity.
- The lowland and the fruit treeslocated at the entrance from Xiprer Street, will be an access point that will connect with the interpretation area of the gardens.
One of the highlights of garden design is the approach gender sensitiveavoiding the creation of dark areas or corners that could generate insecurity. The routes will be fully accessible and the biodiversity will be promoted by planting species suited to the local climate.
A historic space with a new purpose
Garcini Tower it is much more than a historic farmhouse. Its value lies in its ability to tell the story of Barcelona’s agricultural past and in its function as social connector for the neighborhood. The gardens, which until recently were productive with the cultivation of flowers, will now be a meeting place for neighbors, preserving the spirit of a traditional farmhouse. The farmhouse, with its rectangular plan, tower and well, will be maintained as testimony to the rural origins of the city. The intervention seeks to preserve heritage elements as much as possibleensuring that both the farmhouse and the gardens become a space in which history and modernity coexist harmoniously.
A neighborhood achievement and a promising future
This project is the result of years of neighborhood mobilization, which began in 2010 when the farmhouse remained uninhabited and was about to be demolished. In 2015 the demolition license was canceled and in 2017 the process of forced expropriation began which finally transformed the Garcini Tower into a public good. Today the Garcini Tower has not only been preserved, but is preparing for one new life as a community space where historical memory, sustainability and social inclusion go hand in hand.
