Figueres has launched an architectural design competition for its new Comarcal Library and Arxiu Comarcal de l'Alt Empordà, which will also house the municipal archive. The facility, set for a plot bounded by Carrer Rec Arnau, Avinguda Costa Brava, and Carrer de Cadaqués near Parc de les Aigües, marks a key step in expanding the town’s cultural infrastructure.
The €14.8 million project, jointly funded by the Ajuntament de Figueres, the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the Diputació de Girona, will cover approximately 5,200 square metres. It aims to consolidate services currently scattered across outdated locations: the Biblioteca Fages de Climent in Plaça del Sol, the comarcal archive in the former municipal slaughterhouse, and the municipal archive in the old library on Carrer Ample.
According to municipal documentation, the current archive spaces hold around 3,400 linear metres of records but have only 66 linear metres of free space. An additional 5,100 linear metres of documents are expected in the coming years, underscoring the urgent need for a modern, unified facility.
The competition, with a budget of €684,446 for design alone, rising to €1.06 million including construction supervision, will be judged in two phases. The winning team will be responsible for drafting the basic and executive project plans and overseeing construction.
Urban and Cultural Revitalisation Goals
The new complex is intended to become a cultural hub and help urbanistically integrate northern Figueres. It responds to regional guidelines requiring towns with 30,000 to 70,000 residents to have both a central and a neighbourhood library. As a comarcal capital, Figueres’ central library also serves the wider Alt Empordà region.
The site was previously designated in the Figueres Library Plan for its accessibility and population reach. The current car park area on Avinguda Costa Brava will be redeveloped under a newly approved special urban planning scheme, which sets the cultural and construction parameters for the site.
The goal is to create a single space for cultural and documentary services now operating in dispersed and inadequate facilities.
Timeline and Next Steps
The town council expects the competition and project drafting to conclude by October 2027. Construction timelines have not been confirmed, though earlier municipal communications indicated a possible 2025 start date, now superseded by current planning stages.
The project is supported and coordinated by the Generalitat and the Diputació de Girona, with the Arxiu Comarcal de l'Alt Empordà (ACAE) set to centralise its holdings in the new building. More information on the archive’s role is available via the Generalitat’s cultural heritage portal.
Primary sources: patrimoni.gencat.cat, arxius.cultura.gencat.cat, feinaactiva.gencat.cat. Reported by Santi Coll, L'Empordà, guiaderoses, Anna Font, figueres.cat, ACN, Gemma Tubert, Maria Saguer, Redacció, GIRONANOTICIES.COM, Diari de Girona.
