Who did ENGLOBE meet in Barcelona, and why?
ENGLOBE met architects Benedetta Tagliabue and Silvia Vespasiani at the Miralles Tagliabue EMBT studio in Barcelona to review progress on the New Covered Market at Piazza d’Armi in L’Aquila, Italy.
The meeting took place on October 3, 2026. The two teams have worked side by side on this project from the tender through the final design phase, and the day gave them a chance to talk it through face to face.
What is the New Covered Market at Piazza d’Armi?
It is L’Aquila’s new city market, commissioned by the City of L’Aquila to give the market a new permanent location after the 2009 earthquake.
The project is part of the city’s broader reconstruction, in which public spaces and places where people gather carry as much weight as the buildings themselves. ENGLOBE entered the tender together with Miralles Tagliabue EMBT to give the building an architectural signature of international standing. The proposal won over the city administration.
What is ENGLOBE’s role in the project?
ENGLOBE managed the tender and then developed the construction documents for architecture, structural engineering, mechanical systems, and electrical systems.
ENGLOBE was therefore involved at every stage, from preparing the bid to producing the level of detail needed for construction. The architectural vision shared with EMBT was carried into a set of construction documents that integrates all disciplines.
What came out of the meeting beyond the project itself?
A human dimension that rarely finds its way into design meetings.
During the visit, Benedetta Tagliabue also opened the doors of her own residence. She explained how it had been renovated and shared stories from her life, and what came through was how closely life and architecture are bound together in her work, as parts of the same story. The technical discussion of the L’Aquila market thus opened onto something more personal, and for the ENGLOBE team the day was a source of deep inspiration.
The strongest collaborations are built this way: through shared projects and the people who make them possible.
Who is Benedetta Tagliabue?
Benedetta Tagliabue is an architect from Milan. She directs Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, the firm she founded with Enric Miralles, with offices in Barcelona and Shanghai. Her best-known works include the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, the Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona, and the Spanish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which won a RIBA award.
Has Benedetta Tagliabue designed a covered market before?
Yes. In 2005 she and Enric Miralles completed the renovation of Barcelona’s Mercat de Santa Caterina, a market dating back to 1848. The project preserved the original masonry walls and added an undulating roof of colorful ceramic tiles that has since become a city icon.
