This Tuesday, September 30, the European Commission, through its New European Bauhaus initiative, selected the municipality of Lorquí in Murcia as one of the 20 winners in its NEB Boost for Small Municipalities call. The award ceremony took place in Brussels as part of the ‘NEB in Regions and Cities’ event.
This recognition means both financial aid of €30,000 to continue developing its regeneration plan for the architectural complex of the Palacete de la Arboleda, and support in promoting and disseminating its strategies internationally. “It has great heritage value but above all emotional and affective importance for the town.” Undoubtedly, the participatory rehabilitation project has caught the attention of the European Commission.
Although the town’s population is under 8,000, its residents are highly active and aware of their cultural and industrial heritage, which they aim to enhance. The site is a historic cultural asset, a complex founded in the early 20th century by lawyer and politician Juan de la Cierva, which also operated as the area’s first canning industry, covering more than 2,000 square meters.
The Town Hall of Lorquí intends to provide its residents with a new space for leisure, training, and culture, as well as an attractive venue for fairs and gastronomic experiences. These uses were valued by the local inhabitants and entrepreneurs thanks to the planning and development of a citizen participation process, which was especially praised by the award jury.
One of the New European Bauhaus’s core values is attention to the needs and wishes of communities; alongside this purpose are sustainability, inclusion, and quality and beauty. In fact, the Palacete de la Arboleda aims for energy efficiency and, as municipal technicians have already announced, will incorporate both traditional construction systems and new ecological energy sources in its materials and installation.
The architectural complex has been abandoned since its municipal acquisition in 2007. However, in 2023, it received a significant ‘boost’ of €2,800,000 from the Public Building Rehabilitation Promotion Program (PIREP) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, funded by the European Next Generation funds. This new support from the European Commission will enable them to implement the changes and improvements planned and previously anticipated with the MIVAU incentive.
There is a strong commitment to making the space accessible, habitable, and safe. Planned actions include installing an external elevator and new roofs for the building, along with photovoltaic solar panels to supply clean energy to the entire complex. The elimination of interior level differences is also planned, as well as a parking lot with adapted spaces and electric vehicle charging points. The façade will be preserved due to its high heritage and historical value.
According to the town council, “the municipality is committed to the European New Bauhaus and has been part of the community from the beginning, actively participating in the activities that the Local Chapter is developing in the Region of Murcia.” UrbActivistas, a collaborative platform co-created by the European funds consultancy EuroVértice, the Murcia City Council, and the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, is committed to local communities and their innovative projects since its launch in December 2024. Its objectives align with both the European Green Deal principles and the goals of the Spanish Urban Agenda.
