El Mas Mallol, a modernist building located next to the Escola Pax in Tarragona, is in a poor state of conservation and, in some places, dangerous, according to a technical report drafted by architect Jacqueline Pacheco for the school's AFA. The property has been disused since 2012.
The main concern is the use of the surrounding area. The building does not currently show any risk of structural collapse, but there is an imminent risk of facade cladding falling off in areas where students pass, to the point that a containment net has already been installed.
Inspection detected leaks, damaged beams, and insect infestation
During the inspection, Pacheco detected bird droppings inside due to broken windows and water leaks from last summer that have flooded the upper floor. Added to this is the fall of tiles, which has obstructed the rainwater gutters.
This deterioration has caused cracks in the walls and rotted the ends of the wooden beams. The report adds that the wood has lost consistency and shows internal galleries consistent with the attack of wood-boring insects, such as termites or woodworm.
The architect specifies that it cannot be confirmed whether the structure has been affected by neglect. Nevertheless, she does not detect any risk of collapse in the current state of the property.
"We are at a key moment where a decision must be made as to whether they want to fix it or let it go" - Jacqueline Pacheco, architect, AFA of Escola Pax
The AFA will take the report to the Tarragona City Council
El Mas Mallol was built in 1923 by architect Francesc de Paula Morera i Gatell as a summer residence for the shipowner Macià Mallol. Decades later, the building housed the headquarters of Escola Pax between 1963 and 2002.
Later, the property served as the headquarters of Escola Olga Xirinacs between 2007 and 2012. Since then, it has been unused, while deterioration has advanced in a complex adjacent to the daily activities of the school.
The AFA will now send the report to the Tarragona City Council, the owner of the building, to demand measures to halt the deterioration and define a future use project for the property. The council has not provided information on the destination of the property.
One of the facts recorded in the report is that the containment net was already placed due to the danger of facade detachments in the areas where students pass.