Movement is a keyword when describing J. MAYER H.'s Metropol Parasol: Its undulating curves suggest movement; they provide an image of movement. Yet the structure also encourages actual movement of people visiting the site. This is indeed civic architecture, a structure which promotes action and interaction.
Metropol Parasol is situated in the historical center of Seville on Plaza de la Encarnación, one of the largest squares in this area of the city. On the grounds of a demolished convent, a walled-in market consisting of several buildings functioned here during the 19th Century until 1973 when the ensemble was torn down. The square went on to be used as a parking lot during the 1980s and the possibilities for using the site for underground parking garages were suggested. When archeological remains of Roman mosaics and building structures as well as early Christian ruins were uncovered it was however decided to stage an international competition for the future development of the square. This was won in the summer of 2004 by Jürgen Mayer H. and his Berlin-based office J. MAYER H.