The hotel is located in the former headquarters of Banc de Sabadell. This refurbishment maintains the original building as a memory of a time when Passeig de Gràcia was, exclusively, home to local banks and businesses, with a very different character to the one it has today.
The original building was built in 1955 and is the work of the architect Galíndez, a regular collaborator of the bank. It has a granite and fig stone façade which is very hard, strictly symmetrical and with eight heights in the central body. This façade has been well restored, with new windows suitable for the new use as a luxury hotel. Only the plinth has been affected.
With only three operations, the building has been able to accommodate the new program and, in addition, improve the relationship with Passeig de Gràcia and the fit with the city.
The first is the plinth. A porch with shops and central access is defined by a sloping walkway that replaces the original imperial staircase. The reception is located on the mezzanine, at the bottom of the lot. The access road is completely public.
The second is a beautiful atrium at the full height of the building, which facilitates the overall perception, organises the room floors, illuminates the entrance walkway and creates a spectacular access.
The third consists of a completely new façade that overlooks the inner courtyard of the block, opening onto a garden designed by Bet Figueras.
The interiors, created in collaboration with Patricia Urquiola, have a calligraphic, delicate, sensitive design that plays with the nuance of the lights and the sensuality of the spaces. The white colour, the indirect and nuanced lights, the shutters, the warm furniture by contrast are the leitmotif of all the building’s spaces, with several public and visitable parts.
The Mandarin Hotel in Barcelona is the result of a long process where the perseverance between "client and architect" explains 5 years of work. At the beginning of the summer of 2004, work began on the vague idea of a Hotel on Passeig de Gràcia. Back then, there was no contact with Mandarin Oriental or any other hotel company. Only the illusion of formulating a proposal that would boost interest for the city.
At the beginning of 2003, Barcelona had no new international hotel offers in the city centre since the Olympic Games. Based on this awareness of Barcelona at the beginning of the 21st century, work has begun on a project that has been taking shape as the participants have faced the reality of what it means to introduce an international projection facility in the heart of Cerdà’s Eixample.
Barcelona has everything necessary to establish itself as a destination of great international interest and as a cultural and business capital of the Mediterranean. The recent designation of Barcelona as the capital of the Mediterranean confirms this reality.
Establishing a hotel with the characteristics of the Mandarin Hotel in the centre of Barcelona is an achievement in terms of both technical, urban planning and architectural aspects. The work transcends the urban area and the city.