Located in Seville, Spain, Metropol Parasol is the world’s largest wooden structure.

The site on which the structure is situated was meant to become a parking garage but excavations revealed archaeological findings on the site and so the city of Seville decided to turn the site into a museum and community centre.

Jurgen Mayer H Architects were commissioned to design the Metropol Parasol, keeping its tone neutral to ensure aesthetic harmony with the medieval surroundings of Seville.

Made with bonded timber and a polyurethane coating, the Metropol Parasol is home to a museums, a farmers market, an elevated plaza and a restaurant, with most of these being open-air facilities.

The architects explain that the parasols “grow out of the archaeological excavation site into a contemporary landmark, defining a unique relationship between the historical and the contemporary city”.