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Metropol Parasol. Photo by Suicasmo-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Metropol Parasol

Metropol Parasol, also known as Setas de Sevilla, is a structure located at La Encarnacion square in the old quarter of Seville, Spain. It is claimed to be the world’s largest wooden structure.

The structure was designed by architect Jurgen Mayer. It has dimensions of 150 by 70 meters and an approximate height of 26 meters.

Learn more about Metropol Parasol in these top 10 interesting facts.

1. A Contest Was Held to Choose a Design for Metropol Parasol

The contest idea was to create a structure that would function as a public square but could also contain a market, archeological museum and a multifunctional area.

The ultimate goal was to create an iconic landmark in the heart of Seville that offered a renovating and futuristic profile that would become a tourist attraction itself.

65 projects were submitted for the competition. The jury chose the 鈥淢etropol Parasol鈥� project by  architect Jurgen Mayer.

2. It Was Designed by Jurgen Hermann Mayer

Metropol Parasol Setas de S茅ville. Photo by-

Jurgen Mayer is a German architect and artist born in 1965 in Stuttgart. He studied at Stuttgart University, the Copper Union and Princeton University.

In 2014 the city of Seville commissioned him to design the structure after winning an internationally competitive bid to design it. Jurgen took his creativity from the ficus trees that abound in the city. 

He planned to develop a mixed-use, multi-level space that would be comfortable on hot summer days and a location where tourists and the locals could mix.

3. Metropol Parasol is Seville Landmark

Metropol Parasol is an iconic landmark in Seville, Spain, because of its unique structure and design.

In 2005, the Metropol Parasol won the prize in the prestigious Holcim Foundation Award for sustainable construction.

The jury said, 鈥淭his building is a genuine monument that stresses the importance of the marketplace in the city. It is an aesthetically pleasing response to the frequently criticized loss of public space.鈥�

Metropol Parasol is a beautiful space, and you can climb to the top and on the walkways, have great views of Sevilla city.

4. The Brief History of Metropol Parasol

Photo by Steven Lek-

From the 19th century, a market was established in the plaza, housed in a dedicated building. In 1948 the building was partially demolished following plans for urban renewal.

The market remained until 1973 when the rest of the dilapidated building was finally demolished. The land remained unused until 1990 when the city decided to construct underground parking with space for a market on top.

The construction remains dating to the Roman and Al-Andalus eras were discovered and construction was frozen after an expenditure of 14 million Euros.

In 2004, the city decided to attempt to develop the area again and opened an international competition to solicit bids.

5. The Structural Design of Metropol Parasol

Metropol Parasol consists of six Parasols in the form of giant mushrooms. Metropol Parasol’s design is inspired by the vaults of the Cathedral of Seville and the ficus trees in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos.

The underground level houses the Antiquarium, where Roman and Moorish remains discovered on site are displayed in a museum and level 1 is the Central Market.

The roof of Level 1 is the surface of the open-air public plaza shaded by the wooden parasol above and designed for public events. Levels 2 and 3 are the two stages of the panoramic terraces (including a restaurant), offering a view of the city center.

6. The Material Used in the Construction of Metropol Parasol

Metropol Parasol is manufactured out of a glued Kerto-Q LVL material arranged to an orthogonal (right angles) grind of 1.50m*1.50m.

Over 3000 distinct wooden elements were manufactured at Metsa Wood’s component factory in Aichach, Germany. In total, 2500m3 of the panel were produced to form an exceptionally lightweight and extremely strong building.

The wooden structures are protected by a polyurethane coating, shielding the bonded elements against sun and rain. 

All the wood comes from appropriate northern forests, which, being colder, makes for slower-growing trees and a stronger finished product.

7. Metropol Parasol Was Completed in 2011

Photo by Wilomanso-

The construction began on June 26, 2005, with an estimated cost of 50 million euros and a projected completion date was estimated to be in June 2007, but the project faced difficulties.

The engineering firm Arup informed the municipal authorities in May 2007 that the structure was technically infeasible as designed, given that a number of structural assumptions had not been tested and the design appeared to violate the limitation of the known material.

The material used was birch, imported from Finland because of its straight qualities. A lot of time was spent developing feasible alternative plans to buttress the structure, which proved impractical because of the added weight.

A feasible design using glue as reinforcement was finally settled on only at the beginning of 2009. Due to delays, the cost of the Metropol Parasol approached 100 million euros.

8. It is the Largest Wooden Structure in the World

Metropol Parasol is popularly known as Incarnations mushrooms; it is a 21st-century, impressive timber structure in the middle of Seville .It claims to be the world’s largest wooden structure in the world.

It was opened in 2011 and quickly became one of the city鈥檚 most popular tourist attractions, with one million visitors in its first year.

The antiquarium located on the underground level of Metropol Parasol is a museum that displays Roman and Moorish ruins discovered in the area.

9. Archaeological Remains Were Found on Site During Excavation

During excavation, important archaeological remains corresponding to the Roman and Andalusian periods of the city were discovered, so the works were stopped for a while after having already invested 14.6 million euros in them.

However, when the construction was resumed, a museum was created, where the archaeological remains are persevered. The museum is found on the underground level.

10. The Antiquarium Museum was Designed by Felipe Palomino Arquitectos

The museum is at the underground level. It was created to allow people to visit the outstanding archaeological remains that were found during early excavation for the realization of the Metropol Parasol.