The Rambla first came into its own in the 18th century. Today its unique qualities and atmosphere attract visitors from all over the world. The Rambla's liveliness and variety are faithfully reflected - if not partly created - by the buildings which line it. Time and history have engendered a delightfully eclectic miscellany of styles - contrasting, complementing; ornate, plain; occidental, oriental; But time and pollution have also taken their toll, covering many of the façades with dirt and dust, and sometimes even damaging them. As a result much of their rich, original colors and textures have been obscured or lost. Now, however, a mixture of Catalonian pride, European know-how and the imminence of a major international event have concentrated minds, and turned plans into action.
In a city like Barcelona, the character of buildings has as much to do with color and texture as with form. Any restoration work can thus depend quite simply on obtaining the right paints. Clearly, therefore, a suitable supplier is an immediate priority. As one of Spain's best-known paint companies, Pinturas Procolor would no doubt have been regarded as a suitable candidate. As it happens, the company is a member of the Dutch-originated international chemicals, fibers, coatings and health-care products group, Akzo Nobel. In addition to its highly successful commercial operation worldwide, Akzo Nobel Coatings is well known for its enlightened approach to the exploitation of color. One of the beneficial consequences of this has been the creation of the Sikkens Foundation, a body dedicated to a better understanding of the role played by color in people's lives, and named in honor of the man who created one of the oldest paint companies in the world, now a part of Akzo Nobel Coatings.
The Foundation's experience of comprehensive façade restoration in Turin, Italy, as well as elsewhere in Europe, led to the proposal that Pinturas Procolor should sponsor research, backed by Foundation expertise, into the Rambla's original colors. As it happened, this complemented work already in hand by the City of Barcelona, which was naturally delighted to accept the proposal.
It turned out to be but the first of two stages in Akzo Nobel's involvement in the city's preparations for the 1992 Olympics through its subsidiary, Pinturas Procolor: a few months later, after the Foundation's Rambla research program had already gone under way, a further agreement was reached between the authorities and the company. It involved the latter's sponsorship of an ambitious city-wide restoration program: The Color Plan For Barcelona project. This would not only apply to buildings but also to urban elements like lamp standards, public benches and the transportation system.
To implement The Color Plan For Barcelona project, the Sikkens Foundation allocated the Rambla study to architect Josep Emili Hernàndez-Cros; while the City of Barcelona called on the services of a range of professionals and institutions. Thus architect Joan Casadevall took responsibility for the chromatic aspects of Barcelona's historical areas, and the various other studies and their associated monographs were allocated to the Sikkens Foundation itself, as well as to the Col.legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya, the Col.legi d'Aparelladors I Arquitectes Tècnics de Barcelona, the Fundació Amatller d'Art Hispànic, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (through the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona), ADIFAD and the Escola de disseny Eina.
The colors of the Rambla project is a model of its kind. A sound basis was laid from the very start when the right man to lead the project was nominated: Professor Hernàndez-Cros, who apart from being an architect, lectures in history of architecture at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona. His suitability is reflected in his restoration of one of Antoni Gaudi's masterpieces, the Casa Milà. The Rambla project protocol was signed on 18 May 1989 and was quickly followed by the setting up of a comprehensive team of local professionals.
The work involved in the Color Plan For Barcelona