Sagrada Família plans to build grand Glory Façade staircase by relocating nearby apartment blocks

Despite completing construction on the Tower of Jesus Christ, and it later being inaugurated by Pope Leo XIV in June, the Sagrada Família is still far from finished.

The next major construction hurdle is the Glory Façade, where plans foresee a grand staircase leading up to the magnificent basilica. These plans are complicated by the fact that there apartment buildings standing where this staircase is envisaged. 

With people's homes at risk, the Sagrada Família remains fully intent on realizing Antoni Gaudí's vision of the winding stairways.  

On Tuesday, the temple's directors proposed a new solution to the urban planning headache.

To carry out the construction of the staircase, they propose to relocate an apartment building situated in front of the temple to an adjacent block.

At first, it was reported on Tuesday morning that only one single apartment building would be affected, but it soon transpired that more than one building would be affected by the plans.

The Sagrada Família indicated that "the Núñez i Navarro building located in front of the Glory Façade is the key and essential property for developing the project for the Sagrada Família's main access staircase," while adding that the project would affect other surrounding buildings, "as previously reported."

The basilica's director general, Xavier Martínez, explained at a press conference on Tuesday that the basilica's proposal involved relocating this property to an adjacent site, thereby freeing up the space needed to build the staircase.

Martínez noted that to complete this part of the project, "we need a staircase that is impossible to build because there is a building in front of the façade."

He explained that the proposal is for this building to be removed from its current location and placed in a nearby space, a solution that would allow construction of the access to the Glory Façade to move forward.

Following the press conference, the Sagrada Família pointed out that while this one building is "the key, essential property for the development of the project," other surrounding buildings would also be affected.

Martínez added that negotiations with the city council are "well advanced," but that it is now up to the council to "make a move."

The Glory Façade project will be the main construction focus in the coming years, and the basilica plans to begin erecting the eight columns that will support the towers in approximately one year.

Jordi Faulí, the temple's lead architect, explained that work has already begun and that plans for this year include extending the side towers and constructing the ground-floor slab.

Martínez explained, after discussions with local residents and Barcelona City Council, negotiations are "well advanced" and that there are "agreements in principle," though he admitted there is no timeline yet. "We are waiting for the City Council to make the next move," he said.

He also noted that the specific scope of the solution the council might adopt remains unknown.

The resolution of this zoning issue also affects other elements of the Glory façade project, such as the narthex overhangs. Faulí explained that the current permit allows the four towers of the Glory façade to be built up to a height of 120 meters within the plot, but that elements extending beyond the site boundaries, such as the narthex, require specific planning authorization.

Interior work

The completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ has now paved the way for finishing the work on the tower's interior, and the installation of an elevator to the viewpoint.

According to the Sagrada Família, the interior will be fully visible in about a year, once the scaffolding is removed.

Work is also progressing in parallel on the Chapel of the Assumption and the adjoining sections of the cloister.