The Felanitx Union receives 26 architectural proposals for its renovation as a cultural space.

PalmThe Felanitx Trade Union has received 26 architectural proposals to give it a new lease of life as a cultural and social space. The Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council) has announced that the historic building owned by the island institution has received a total of 26 architectural proposals within the framework of the European competition Europan 18, after being selected as the only site in the Balearic Islands in this edition.

The objective of the challenge is to propose an architectural intervention capable of giving the building a new use as a cultural and social center, combining tradition, innovation, and sustainability.

With this volume of participation, the Trade Union has positioned itself as one of the most sought-after sites of the fifty buildings participating in the competition across Europe and the second most popular nationwide, behind only Barcelona-La Verneda. According to the Consell, this figure demonstrates the high heritage, symbolic, and community appeal of this unique building, a benchmark of Mallorcan industrial heritage.

The Island Councilor for the Presidency, Antoni Fuster, positively assessed this response. "The interest that the Union has aroused among young architects from all over Europe confirms the building's great potential," he considered, adding that "the fact that it is one of the most sought-after locations at Europan 18 demonstrates that Mallorcan society has a living heritage, with the capacity to generate transformative projects."

He also explained that the Consell's desire "is to give the building a new life, respecting its memory and identity, but also opening it up to new uses adapted to the real needs of the citizens." "The winning project will lay the foundations for this transformation," specified Island Councilor Antoni Fuster.

The Union's application was submitted through the General Directorate of Housing and Architecture of the Government, with the Consell de Mallorca and the Felanitx Town Council. The program of needs, developed jointly by the three institutions, establishes that the winning proposal must preserve the heritage values of the building and, at the same time, promote new uses that energize the cultural, social, and economic life of the municipality.

Last May, coinciding with the opening of the registration period, the President of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, symbolically opened the doors of the building to the participating young architects. During the day, the teams received technical and historical information from experts from the Consell, and also heard testimonies from former winery workers, who conveyed the emotional and collective value that the Union holds for the people of Felanitx. Now, two months later, the proposals have been formally presented and have entered the analysis and evaluation phase.

Phases of the architectural competition

With the closing of the deadline for submitting proposals, the international Europan 18 competition now begins a new phase of analysis and assessment that will determine the future of the building, a site owned by the Consell de Mallorca.

Between July and September 2025, the national juries will evaluate the submitted projects and select up to 25% as finalists. These proposals will be discussed at the Cities and Juries Forum, which will take place on October 17 and 18, 2025, in Lisbon.

Subsequently, between October and November, the second round of jury deliberations will take place, which will determine the winning teams for each site. The final results will be announced on November 17, 2025.