The color of the tiles in the architecture of Valencia's Central Market (Spain)

Abstract

This communication shows the results of a research on the color of glazed ceramic tiles, applied in indoor and outdoor surfaces of one of the most distinctive modernist buildings of the city of Valencia (Spain), the Central Market (1914-1928). This building, used for trade of food, is located in the historical center area of the city and was designed by architects Alejandro Soler i March and Francisco Guardia i Vial. It is a great architectural space in which it takes place the ancient ceremony of the sale of foodstuffs, which is an experience for the senses, and thanks to colour, also a visual delight. The study analyzes the situation, distribution and composition of the ceramic pieces of the building, by its graphic lifting, and a typological, chromatic and computer aided analysis, obtaining a novel colour chart, with was never done before. The creation of this chart has been very useful for the restoration process which has recently been done. It is noteworthy in this investigation, and as a result, the dominant colour in each of the central market areas, both on the exterior surfaces and inner spaces, as tiles represent a significant percentage of them. The study of chromatic parameters, graphic analysis of the ceramics, its compositions and location, has provided and extended the study of this ancient building and has served as a basis for its recently completed restoration, as mentioned before. The location and morphological analysis of ornamental ceramic coatings, done in this research, has allowed the cataloguing of the iconology, which is very representative of the modernist language, chronological period when the market was built. It has also been observed the high ornamental value of the different market segments, attending to its compositional features and consistent with the functional zoning.