The Government of the Balearic Islands has presented the Districte de les Arts de Palma -Arts District of Palma-, an ambitious educational and cultural project with a total budget of 70 million euros. Its aim is to modernise and enhance artistic studies in the region by integrating into a single space the Conservatori Superior de Música -Conservatory of Music-, the Escola Superior d’Art Dramàtic -School of Dramatic Art-, and the Escola Superior de Disseny i Escola d’Arts i Oficis -School of Design and Arts and Crafts-. Additionally, the plan includes the construction of a second university residence and a new institute with integrated studies (PEI).
Image from the presentation of the Districte de les Arts de Palma held in the Orquestra Hall of the Conservatori. Photo: CAIB.
With this project, the goal is the transformation and modernisation of artistic studies in the community, creating an innovative educational environment with 20,000 square metres of facilities. This space aims to improve artistic education and foster the relationship between emerging talent and society. The competition for the new buildings is expected to be resolved in 18 months, while the construction of the conservatory and higher education schools could take another 20 months.
New university residence and integrated studies centre
In the block where the current Conservatori is located, the following will be built:
- University residence: It will have 120 individual rooms equipped with private kitchens and will be distributed across a ground floor and three upper floors. The ground floor will house administrative areas, a gym, study rooms, and a laundry. The total area will be 3,415 square metres, and its construction will cost 8.1 million euros. Once completed, the residence will be managed by the Fundació Universitat-Empresa de les Illes Balears (FUEIB).
- New institute: It will accommodate 380 students and will be housed in a building with a ground floor and three upper floors, covering an area of 2,400 square metres. Its estimated cost is 5.7 million euros. It will include classrooms across three levels, a gym, a dining hall, and a kitchen. It will be directly connected to the Conservatori Professional to facilitate study compatibility.
Outdoor spaces and parking
Green and open spaces will be enhanced around the institute and the residence. Additionally, the basement of both buildings will include an underground car park with capacity for 65 spaces. The total cost of these facilities (residence, institute, parking, and green areas) amounts to 16.3 million euros.
New facilities for higher artistic studies
The Government has announced a competition to design and construct the new buildings for the Conservatori Superior de Música, the Escola Superior d’Art Dramàtic, and the Escola Superior de Disseny, aiming to give them a distinctive architectural value.
- Conservatori Superior de Música: It will cover an area of 6,350 square metres and include theoretical classrooms, choir rooms, instrument rooms, and orchestra halls.
- Escola Superior d’Art Dramàtic: It will have 3,800 square metres with theoretical classrooms, movement rooms, a studio, a theatre, and workshops.
- Escola Superior de Disseny: It will offer 5,800 square metres with classrooms, workshops, research rooms, and a conference hall.
Infrastructure and common areas
The new Districte de les Arts will also include the construction of a series of shared spaces to encourage collaboration between different artistic disciplines. These include:
- Documentation Centre, where the documentary collection of music, drama, and design—currently spread across different buildings in Palma—will be brought together.
- Library, cafeteria, and restaurant, accessible to the entire educational community.
- Semi-covered outdoor agora, which will serve as a meeting point for students and a platform for cultural promotion.
- Underground car park with a capacity for 250 vehicles.
The total cost of these new facilities will be 53.6 million euros, with an estimated construction period of 20 months.
Arts District of Palma competition process
The competition will be conducted in two phases: in the first, architectural studios will have one month to present their credentials; in the second, the three selected projects will have two months to submit their preliminary designs.
The winning studio will receive 2.3 million euros to develop the executive project and oversee the construction, while the finalists will each receive 10,000 euros.
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