The Glass Palace of the Champs Elysées will open its doors at the end of June or beginning of July after the official presentation of the usage plan by the city council. The building will recover its public function with a total area of over 4,600 square meters intended for citizen and institutional activities.
The ground floor will house a multipurpose court of 1,786 square meters with a capacity for 613 people. This open space constitutes the main core of the new layout and will allow for hosting high-attendance sporting or cultural events without the need for complex structural divisions.
The viewpoint and the rooms complete the municipal offer
The upper floor integrates the Mirador del Palau, a 171-square-meter area suitable for 125 people that offers panoramic views of the park. Next to this space is a 302-square-meter auditorium with a capacity limited to 230 attendees.
The project also includes a 550 square meter entity hotel. This area will be able to house up to 95 people distributed in six simultaneous work teams. The dependencies of the Department of Participation and the Ombudsman of Lleida will have their permanent headquarters within the premises.
"We want to turn the Palau de Vidre into a functional and open space, at the service of the entities and the city" - Roberto Pino, Councilor for Participation, Lleida City Council
Access to these facilities will require prior application fifteen days in advance. The regulations prioritize non-profit entities and community activities. These organizations may be exempt from paying fees if they demonstrate that their actions lack economic or business character.
The opposition criticizes the lack of invitation to the event
The presentation generated unease among opposition groups due to the absence of their councilors at the event. Jordina Freixenet, spokesperson for ERC, and Violant Cervera, spokesperson for Junts per Catalunya, reproached the municipal government for this exclusion.
Cervera recalled that the initial impetus for the project corresponded to the Urban Planning department during the previous term. The councilwoman announced that she will ask the executive about the reasons for the institutional marginalization of the other political groups in an event of this relevance.
"This is a project of memory and of future" - Fèlix Larrosa, mayor, Lleida City Council
The current design derives from a participatory process initiated in 2019. The reopening marks the end of a period of uncertainty about the fate of one of the city's most emblematic facilities.