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The 1858 arcades in Clot Park are finally beginning to emerge from the netting
The green netting that has covered part of the historic arcades in Clot Park since 2017 is living on borrowed time. Barcelona has already begun restoring the seven preserved façades of the former railway workshops, an intervention that will continue until the first quarter of 2027.
The structures, dating from 1858 and later linked to Renfe workshops, are among the park's most recognisable elements and part of the neighbourhood's industrial past. Over the last nine years, some areas had remained protected with nets installed as a provisional measure because of the risk of falling debris.
Now the intervention will be comprehensive. Workers will repair cracks and deteriorated areas, remove damaged pieces and embedded vegetation, and clean the surfaces with pressurised water. Original elements will also be recovered and accumulated rust removed from certain parts of the structures.
Once the walls have been repaired, treatments against damp and graffiti will be applied and the upper part of the façades will be waterproofed. The aim is not only to improve their appearance: the interventions seek to halt deterioration and reduce future maintenance needs.
BIMSA is responsible for carrying out work with a budget close to two million euros. The executive project received municipal approval in February and the tender was launched during the spring; work finally began this September.
The intervention also has a particularly visible component for residents of Clot. The protective nets were installed in 2017 and ended up remaining for almost a decade. The Clot-Camp de l'Arpa neighbourhood association had called during those years for a definitive solution for structures that form part of the park's everyday image.
The walls survived the disappearance of the former railway facilities and were incorporated into the park's design when it opened in 1986. Architects Daniel Freixa and Vicente Miranda preserved arches, walls and other industrial remains rather than removing them. One group was even transformed into an aqueduct-like element beside the water, since becoming one of the venue's characteristic images.
The work forms part of the Pla de Manteniment Integral del Pla Endreça. Between 2025 and 2027, Barcelona plans to exceed 3,000 maintenance, renewal and transformation actions in public space with total investment of 435 million euros.
If the municipal timetable is maintained, the seven façades in Parc del Clot will be rehabilitated during the first quarter of 2027. It will then be possible to see one of Sant Martí's principal industrial remnants again without the provisional protections that have marked its appearance since 2017.