Setas de Sevilla, Seville

Setas de Sevilla is the expansive wooden landmark spreading across La Encarnación square, designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer. Its familiar nickname comes from the six broad parasols whose linked forms suggest giant mushrooms. The structure measures about 150 metres by 70 metres and rises roughly 26 metres, making the scale immediately striking from the plaza.

Look at the interlocking ribs overhead: their shape draws inspiration from Seville Cathedral’s vaults and from nearby ficus trees. Beneath this canopy, the complex combines a traditional market, places to eat, an open public square for performances, and the Antiquarium archaeological museum. The museum preserves Roman and Al-Andalus remains found during earlier building work on the site.

A terrace and panoramic route crown the structure, giving visitors views across Seville’s old city. The project was selected from 65 submissions in a competition sponsored by the city, and construction was completed in April 2011. Its engineering story is unusually dramatic: technical difficulties forced a new glued reinforcement solution, while the chosen material became micro-laminated Finnish pine. That vast wooden canopy now works as market, museum, public space, and viewpoint in a single urban landmark.