Biarritz Market Halls
Rehabilitation
Client
City of Biarritz
Location
Biarritz (64)
Year
2015
Cost
5M
The rehabilitation of the Biarritz Market Halls constitutes one of the major public operations carried out in Biarritz in the early 2010s. Built at the end of the 19th century, the market halls are a strong marker of the architectural and urban identity of the city, but also a place of daily life, intensely frequented by residents, traders and visitors.
The project commissioned by the Biarritz Town Hall consisted of a major rehabilitation of the entire covered market and the adjoining Place Sobradiel, with a dual objective: to adapt this historic facility to contemporary requirements and to preserve its original architectural spirit.
A major technical and architectural transformation
The intervention focused on bringing all the market halls up to health, safety, and accessibility standards, as well as improving their daily operations. The project included the creation of a covered walkway between the two halls to unify pedestrian routes and improve user comfort, and the creation of a dedicated underground access for vendors' vehicles, optimizing logistics without disrupting public spaces above ground.
The project required extensive demolition, both inside and on the facades. Floors, partitions, and successive additions made during the 20th century were removed, along with certain canopies and added elements, in order to reveal the original structural layout. This work uncovered the 19th-century structures of the main hall as well as the original arches of the fish market, long hidden by subsequent alterations.
Beneath the facades, which had been altered over time, the project uncovered concrete structures, glass brick infill, and brick and stonework concealed under various layers of plaster. After demolishing and cleaning all these added elements, the gable facades were reconstructed using a metal frame, in a spirit faithful to late 19th-century architecture, without attempting pastiche, but with a constant focus on restoring structural and urban coherence.
