The Royal Tobacco factory of Seville. Representation of the state versus functionality

EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X https://doi.org/10.4995/ege.2023.20736 APEGA, UPV *Correspondence author: Manuel Castillo García, [email protected] Received: 21 November 2023, Accepted: 11 December 2023, Published: 31 December 2023 THE ROYAL TOBACCO FACTORY OF SEVILLE. REPRESENTATION OF THE STATE VERSUS FUNCTIONALITY LA REAL FÁBRICA DE TABACOS DE SEVILLA. DICOTOMÍA ENTRE LA REPRESENTACIÓN DEL ESTADO Y LA FUNCIONALIDAD Manuel Castillo García a1 , Francisco José Racero Montes b, José Antonio Barrera-Vera a2 aUniversidad de Sevilla, España. a1 [email protected]; a2 [email protected] bUniversidad Pablo de Olavide, España. [email protected] Abstract This paper conducts a study of the functionality of a building for industrial use of the largest in Europe in the eighteenth century, the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville. It analyses the relationship between site, space, design and construction valuing the military engineers involved in the project and the direction of the works, with an academic training oriented to respond to fortification works, far from the development of industrial projects. As a symbol of the architecture of power represented by the State, it conveyed the idea of an empire that stood above other kinds of restrictions of the time. With the advent of new inventions such as automation and mechanisation, the space was gradually equipped with new machinery until the building was finally destined for a use far removed from its origins, namely as a military barracks and headquarters of some university faculties and the Rectorate, conveying the idea of malleability that responds to unprojected future demands. Keywords: Heritage; Architecture; Project; Military engineer. Resumen El presente trabajo realiza un estudio de funcionalidad de un edificio proyectado para uso industrial de los mayores de Europa en el siglo XVIII, La Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla. Analiza la relación entre ubicación, espacio, diseño y construcción, valorando los ingenieros militares que intervinieron en el proyecto y en la dirección de las obras, con formación académica dirigida para dar respuesta a obras de fortificación, alejada de la elaboración de proyectos industriales. Símbolo de la arquitectura de poder representada por el Estado, transmitía la idea de imperio por encima de otro tipo de restricciones de la época. La llegada de nuevos inventos con la automatización y maquinización hizo que el espacio se fuera acomodando a la nueva maquinaria hasta que finalmente el edificio fuera destinado a un uso alejado de su origen, como cuartel militar y sede de algunas facultades universitarias y el Rectorado, lo que nos transmite la idea de maleabilidad, respondiendo a demandas futuras no proyectadas. Palabras clave: Patrimonio; Arquitectura; Proyecto; Ingenieros militares. 1. INTRODUCTION Seville in the 18th century was a city fortified by a walled defensive system built under the Almohad domination of the 12th century (Valor 1989). Nestled in fertile soil through which the meanders of the Guadalquivir river, supplying water to the rich orchards and agricultural soils that border the urban fabric. The large floods that the river has had throughout history are known, causing considerable damage to the population, homes and the entire architectural configuration of the city, since the flow of these waters had to be considered when large storms deposited the waters in the Sierra Norte of the province. This situation of instability and alert continued well into the sixties, when the works on the defense wall facing the Guadalquivir river and the piping of the Tamarguillo river were undertaken. The population generally lived in homes within the walled enclosure, but as in the rest of European cities, suburbs were generated on the outskirts, around grandiose buildings such as the “Hospital de las Cinco Llagas de Nuestro Redentor”, in the neighborhood of La Macarena. These centers were monopolizing large masses of the population, generally little rooted in the customs and culture of the city they were going to inhabit, seeking a better future away from the rural habitat. In addition to the aforementioned, among the most notable cases, we mention the suburbs of Triana, San Bernardo and Trinidad (Ortiz 2006, Ortiz 2009:30-35). They were all great shelters for workers of the Royal Tobacco Factory, which generated the need to enable communication between the factory premises and the residences. In addition, prosperity was generated in these neighborhoods that was rewarded in the improvement and rehabilitation of single-family homes, the creation of businesses, and widening of streets; All of this occurred as a consequence of the construction of the Royal Tobacco Factory and the employability of thousands of cigarette makers who, in many cases, became the ones who took charge of the well-being of their families (Palma 1994). 2. DESIGN VARIABLES FOR INDUSTRIAL USE As the main premise when it comes to offering a functional and constructive response to any building, knowledge of the processes and subprocesses that will be undertaken in it is required. In addition, the orientation, characteristics of the subsoil, easements, surfaces, heights, etc., will be fundamental constraints, resulting in a system that will offer the best response to the initial demands. At the historical moment when the project of the building began (1728), the previous experience in the design of this type of building by the designers must have been considered, in order to relate program and efficiency in the processes. Engineer Sala had participated in innumerable works of fortifications, bridges, etc., but he lacked experience in the tobacco industry, as it was a recent activity. From the design and knowledge, he had of the San Pedro factory, he knew that it was a fairly combustible raw material, causing great fires, and needed ideal temperature and humidity conditions for its preservation in perfect conditions, because either it rotted, or it dried excessively and cracked at the time of its manufacture (Morales 1991). For drying, large outdoor areas sheltered from the wind were needed. After all this set of variables, a series of conditions were established that the building would have to meet: fire resistance, large warehouses where the raw material could be deposited, low light and height in order not to create air pockets, large surfaces for drying and water supply and wastewater evacuation networks (Gordillo 2005). 2.1 STRUCTURE Sala designed a square grid, whose structure is formed by self-supporting limestone walls and sandstone pillars with a cruciform section on the foundation. Initially, it was believed that it was made using continuous footings on which the façade walls supported and isolated footings for the interior pillars measuring 2 meters on each side. As a result of undertaking modernization works at the current headquarters of the Rectorate of the University of Seville in 2009, a series of subsoil reconnaissance works were carried out in order to discover the possibilities of intervention. For the first time, the reality of the foundation was discovered, far from what was described in the planimetry, composed of inverted brick arches 60 centimeters thick, supported on a small continuous slab of cyclopean concrete measuring 2.30×1.05 meters, reaching the level -6.00 meters: CASTILLO GARCÍA, M., RACERO MONTES, F. J., AND BARRERA VERA, J. A. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 52 “...the main discovery of the present work (...), has been finding under the building a reticular foundation made of inverted arches” (González 2011:5-11). The solution adopted in the foundation was undoubtedly the most appropriate, taking into account the characteristics of the subsoil composed of clays with low bearing capacity, affected by the humidity of the river channels, as well as the quality of the cyclopean concretes of the time. According to the documentation that has been accessed for the realization of this work, although important repair and maintenance works have had to be undertaken in wooden beams, facades, etc.; no cracks or fissures of any consideration have been found, withstanding the Lisbon earthquake (1755). On the pillars that rest in these shafts, the semicircular arches that form the square-shaped vaults formed by double sheets of brick and on top of it a layer of infill cushioning the table brick flooring, supported by cruciform pillars separated by about 6 meters (González 2011:5-11). The walls of the façade (Fig. 1) are built of stone ashlars with a defective rigging, which leads to the idea of being designed from the beginning with some kind of external cladding. Perhaps the sandstone used was not the most suitable since even in photographs of recent construction of the factory you can see the pathologies in the coatings, such as chipping, efflorescence, etc. The design of elevations was one of the most careful aspects by the designers, redoing the Fig. 1. Design of elevations and longitudinal section. Source: Ministry of Culture. State Archives. MPD, 17039 and 17049. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 53 THE ROYAL TOBACCO FACTORY OF SEVILLE. REPRESENTATION OF THE STATE VERSUS FUNCTIONALITY planimetry several times in order to provide a final solution. It was necessary to design a factory that would be a milestone for the city, its exterior skin would have to be taken care of down to the last detail, which underlies a certain distance between functionality, rationality of materials and symbol of power, a tool with which the State communicated as far as it was capable of going (Bonet 1984:22-33). In this sense, the padding of the façade, the generosity of its doors and the gradual elimination of some barracks details designed by these soldiers stand out. Nevertheless, some of them remained, such as the case of the sentry boxes and moat, which we will see below. Due to the large surface area that had to be carved in stone, and this was not one of the usual materials in the town, stonemasons had to be brought from all over Andalusia and the rest of Spain. Likewise, the contracting of wood for the slabs of the houses destined for the main floor of the factory located in the corners (Fig. 2), as well as for the execution of scaffolding, shoring, doors and other carpentry had to be the subject of a meticulous feasibility study, both in terms of provenance, quality and cost (Alcober 1946). The upper floor is distinguished by a simple stone impost. A limestone cornice serves as the culmination of the façade. 2.2 ROOF Most of the building has two floors, except for the area intended for three-storey dwellings. On the upper floor, the flat roof was designed by applying different brick sheets in their last layer at the joints to give the corresponding watertightness to the water filtrations. It was necessary to place skylights or skylights to let light into the upper floor (Fig. 3), where the final product was made. Sebastián Van der Borch, after Barnola’s death in Cadiz, took over the management of the works, undertaking the design of the lanterns on the roof in order to give light to the interior of the factory (Gámez 2019a). On the roof, a small brick parapet is erected in order to protect the raw material from the air, creating ornamental elements in the corners. These projections are reminiscent of the old towers of the fortresses, and which, in this case, are topped at the top by pinnacles, that are characteristic on significant building of the period, such as the “La Lonja” (Seville). The main materials used were stone, limestone, sandstone and brick. 2.3 ENTRANCES The building had three doors (Fig. 4), located in the center of the façade walls, of which only one was built. As a characteristic and symbolic element, the Main Doorway located on the north façade stands out. Initially, this door was designed by Sala (Fig. 4), consisting of a body topped by a decorated pediment as the main entrance to the Spanish fortifications in America. It consists of a rounded arch with two columns resting on barrelshaped pedestals, which support a pediment. Similar works can be found in the Fort of San Fernando de Bocachica (Colombia), designed by Fig. 2. Facades and access to spaces designed for the homes of the Bosses and Superintendent of the factory. Source: Authors. CASTILLO GARCÍA, M., RACERO MONTES, F. J., AND BARRERA VERA, J. A. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 54 the Military Engineer Antonio de Arévalo. Unlike our case, Bocachica has curved pediments, where he included the royal coat of arms supported by lions, as a heraldic element of prestige, which fits with the idea of the use of this feline to represent the greatness of the Spanish Crown (Capel 1983). Van der Borcht’s entry into action meant the remodeling of some elements; among them the most significant of the building, The Main Gate. It incorporates a second body to give it greater grandeur, providing a nobler vision, far from any idea of the factory (Fig. 4). From the outside to the inside, it is framed by cushioned pilasters decorated with concentric circles, then a group of two fluted columns in their first third, on support pedestals, with Ionic capitals that support a small frieze with a decorated metope. mills used in the production of tobacco, Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortés. The keystone of the arch is composed of a lion, like the American fortifications, which holds a cartouche with the inscription Royal Tobacco Factory. On the upper floor there is a balustraded balcony, where, on both sides of it, a pair of plain halfcolumns are resting on a plinth with a composite capital. The central opening is rectangular and decorated on its sides with rockeries of the time. The complex is topped by a triangular pediment on which the royal coat of arms is inscribed between two new lions. As an ornamental culmination of the pediment, there is the sculpture of Fame on a shell in the form of a pulpit. Acosta was the author of the work, although the design was by Van del Borcht, once the chief engineer Barnola gave his approval and introduced some modifications (Sanabria 1947:393-396). We could say that the Door of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville is the result of a set of experiments carried out by military engineers, the result of the great knowledge of academic aesthetics taught in the different military Fig. 3.a. Lanterns designed by Sebastián Van der Borch for light entry into the manufacturing plant. Source: Authors’ own creation. Fig. 3.b. Lanterns designed by Sebastián Van der Borch for light entry into the manufacturing plant. Source: Authors’ own creation. Fig. 3c. Lanterns designed by Sebastián Van der Borch for light entry into the manufacturing plant. Source: Authors’ own creation. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 55 THE ROYAL TOBACCO FACTORY OF SEVILLE. REPRESENTATION OF THE STATE VERSUS FUNCTIONALITY Fig. 4.a. Main Gate. Own elaboration. Fig. 4.b. South Gate. Own elaboration. Fig. 4.c. Project of doors designed by Ignacio Sala (1728). Ministerio de Cultura, Archivos Estatales. MPD, 47032. Fig. 4.d. Project of doors designed by Ignacio Sala (1728). Ministerio de Cultura, Archivos Estatales. MPD 47134. CASTILLO GARCÍA, M., RACERO MONTES, F. J., AND BARRERA VERA, J. A. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 56 academies of the time, resulting in a work of such elegance that it exceeded all expectations. The “Puerta del Puente” in “Cartagena de Indias”, the work of the engineer Juan de Herrera y Sotomayor, has very similar characteristics, a triumphal arch, composed of a semicircular opening flanked by pairs of Tuscan columns raised on a base. In the upper part, there is a pediment. It is a prototype of an academic facade, following the postulates of Italian or French architecture of the moment (Gámez 2019b: 281-286). 3. MILITARY USE A fundamental feature of the factory is the appearance of a large barracks of the time, offering a semi-military character. The construction of sentry boxes at its corners (Fig. 5), the location of a prison inside, the separation by the historic city wall itself, and the periphery of a large moat that delimited its perimeter suggest more of a fortification than of an industry, justified by the origin of the designers, who had participated in great defensive works in the country. The sentry boxes (Fig. 5) have a cylindrical structure exposed to the moat, although some are located on the ground. Perhaps the model was chosen by Bernard Forest de Belidor (1729) or John Müller (1755). Several considerations of these military engineers, fathers of the new engineering of the time and professors of different military academies, should be given: Belidor, developed the fundamental knowledge of architecture and engineering, with rich mathematical models, but with a vision of practical rationality, his book The Science of Engineers (Paris, 1729), collects the foundations of the military fortifications of the time, above all, recommendations on the thickness of earth retaining walls through mathematical formulas (Montenegro 2012: 13-32). Muller was Professor of Artillery and Fortification at the Royal Academy of Artillery at Woolwich. He used Belidor’s text as a base book for his students (Galindo 2000). After the architectural analysis of this type of space, there is no doubt about the great influence that Van der Borch had on his time at the Royal Academy of Mathematics of Barcelona. He entered the class of 1742, after having passed through the Royal Academy of Mathematics of Ceuta. He met the requirements of the time, among others, belonging to a family of noble origin, knowledge of arithmetic and being 15 years Fig. 5.b. Sentry box. Source: Authors. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 57 THE ROYAL TOBACCO FACTORY OF SEVILLE. REPRESENTATION OF THE STATE VERSUS FUNCTIONALITY old. Among the basic contents of the curriculum that lasted four years, he was instructed in types of gunpowder, modern fortifications, hydraulic machines, seaports, the Rule of the Five Orders of Architecture (Vignola 1593), which would be applied in the courtyards of the houses in the noble area of the Royal Tobacco Factory, military perspective, hydrographic charts, etc. etc. From all this, the engineer would get the best out of it to apply it with subtlety to the great work in which he participated and left a good legacy of all of it (Gámez 2019a). Fig. 5.a. Moat. Source: Authors. The moat (Fig. 5) was one of the last to be built. The need to have the best safety measures in place for the factory meant isolating it by a pit through which the water from the Tagarete river would flow, solving the sewerage problem and interposing a delimiting element. Its design was the subject of conflict, since, on the one hand, it occupied a royal road that hindered the transit of vehicles to the San Bernardo cannon factory and, on the other, it invaded part of the land that belonged to the Palace of San Telmo. The problem was solved by expropriating new land and slightly modifying the configuration of its perimeter. The project consisted of opening a moat that would connect with the Tagarete river, which had been bordering the outer wall, in order to drain the water from the factory’s processes. Fig.06.a. Ground floor of initial distribution, according to Ignacio Sala in which the different main productive areas are represented. Source: Authors’ own creation. Fig. 6.b. Upper floor of initial distribution according to Ignacio Sala in which the different main productive areas are represented. Source: Authors’ own creation. Although it seems that during the French occupation (1810-1812), certain corner dwellings, where the chiefs and engineers lived, were used by officers in Napoleon’s army, the exclusive military use of part of the building did not occur until the mid-nineteenth century. The state of the barracks in Seville did not meet the minimum hospitality needs necessary to accommodate troops and stables. In 1878 the General Plan of Barracks of Seville was approved, which resulted in the planning for the construction of different barracks; among them the one in San Bernardo, next to the Artillery Foundry. For the temporary accommodation of the unit, it was decided to give a wing of the Tobacco Factory, the one facing the Prado de San Sebastián. To adapt the building, it was necessary to close off some galleries, divide the roof, build toilet spaces and other spaces necessary to house the troops, open a door on the façade and build a bridge over the moat. The military use of this area coexisted with industrial activity until September 16, 1950, when the building was the subject of a project to be adapted for a University, following an agreement between the Ministry of National Education and the Government of the nation. 4. TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE USE Since 1950 the building has developed a new functionality that it shares with the industrial use for which it was designed. The “Tabacalera” was moved in phases to the new spaces located on the other bank of the Guadalquivir River, next to the Los Remedios neighborhood, which distanced any manufacturing activity from the new city center. The space had to respond to different faculties, Law, Sciences, Philosophy and Letters, as well as the Rectorate and Library. Both the adaptation works of the factory and the military area facing Avenida del Cid had to be undertaken. At the same time, projects were developed for the different façades and doors to each of the new spaces. Practically the interior layouts of the faculties of Philosophy and Law were symmetrical, with interior courtyards that articulated the spaces of lecture halls, distributors, lobbies and stairwells that communicated with the upper floor. The Faculty of Sciences was the first to fulfill its functionality, facing south. The main interventions that were carried out were the construction of classrooms, the extension of interior courtyards, the construction of entrance doors, lobbies and intervention on facades. The façades were modelled on the building of “La Lonja” (Seville), now the “Archivo de Indias”, and the main focus was on the widening of the window openings on the ground floor. In addition, a bridge had to be built CASTILLO GARCÍA, M., RACERO MONTES, F. J., AND BARRERA VERA, J. A. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 58 over the moat that separated the building from the street. In 1973 the works of the library were completed, as the culmination of the new use, which still exists today, with some modifications of the location of the different faculties though (Gordillo 2005). 5. CONCLUSIONS Since the eighteenth century, Seville has been accommodating urbanistically towards a modern city where public buildings have represented the power of the Crown, a sign of the wealth of the State. After the study, it has been possible to observe the poor adaptation of the spatial distribution of the Royal Tobacco Factory to the different manufacturing processes of the time (Fig. 6), resulting in a colossal architectural work with noble materials. It would be necessary to differentiate the practical functionality from the intentional one of the time, subjected to the staging of the grandiosity of the Crown. It must be borne in mind that behind the skin of the factory there were other intentions that the designers of the time wanted to convey over and above the economic magnitude of the cost of execution. After contrasting the planimetry and the construction solutions, the mismatch between the two has been verified, as is the case of the foundation. On the other hand, it is necessary to highlight the adaptability and ductility of the building, which has come to respond to three major uses: industrial, military and educational. REFERENCES Alcober, L. C. 1946. Un ejemplar español de arquitectura industrial del siglo XVIII , Asociación Nacional de Ingenieros Industriales. Bonet, A. 1984. “La Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla, primer edificio de la arquitectura industrial en España”, Catálogo de la Exposición Sevilla y el Tabaco , pp. 22-33. Capel, H. 1983. Los ingenieros militares en España, siglo XVIII , Edicions Universitat Barcelona, Barcelona. Galindo, J. 2000. “ ‘La ciencia de los ingenieros...’ en la primera mitad del siglo XVIII”. Informes de la Construcción , 52(467), pp.47-54. Gámez, M. 2019a. El Ingeniero Sebastian van der Borcht. De Flandes a Sevilla , Diputación Provincial de Sevilla, Sevilla, 2019. Gámez, M. 2019b “Portadas de Ingenieros militares en el Caribe durante el siglo XVIII”. In Vestir la arquitectura: XXII Congreso Nacional de Historia del Arte, 2019, pp. 281-286. González, C., & González Vílchez, M. 2011. “La cimentación del edificio histórico de la Fábrica de Tabacos de la Universidad de Sevilla” . Informes de la Construcción , 63(521), pp.5-11. https://doi.org/10.3989/ ic.10.029 Gordillo, J. M. R. 2005. Historia de la Real Fábrica de tabacos de Sevilla: sede actual de la Universidad de Sevilla . Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, 2005. Montenegro, J. C. 2012. “Aportaciones singulares de los Ingenieros a la obra civil”, Revista de historia militar , 1, pp. 13-32. Morales, J. M. 1991. La Real Fábrica de Tabacos: arquitectura, territorio y ciudad en la Sevilla del siglo XVIII , Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Andalucía Occidental, Sevilla. Ortiz, A. D. 2006. Historia de Sevilla: la Sevilla del siglo XVII (Vol. 93), Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla. Ortiz, A. D. 2009. “Murallas y puertas de Sevilla de la Cerca Almohade”, Ben Baso: revista de la Asociación de Profesores para la Difusión y Protección del Patrimonio , 20, pp. 30-35. Palma, J. A. 1994. Ciudad e industria: Sevilla 1850-1930 . Tesis Doctoral, Universidad de Sevilla. EGE - Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación, Nº 19, 2023. ISSN: 2605-082X | 59 THE ROYAL TOBACCO FACTORY OF SEVILLE. REPRESENTATION OF THE STATE VERSUS FUNCTIONALITY