Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at the Zaragoza University The expansion project of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at the University of Zaragoza included the integrated refurbishment of its central building, designed by the architect Regino Borobio and categorised by the General Land Use Planning of Zaragoza as being subject to a (B) protection rating on account of its architectural value. The main lobby is home to a mural of great value, created using pieces of ceramic by local ceramic artist and surveyor Ángel Grávalos in 1972.

The refurbishment project included transferring eastern panel of the mural, the conservation status of which had been degraded over time. The uniqueness of the mural, its fragile conservation status and its original location, overlapping the other panels that could not be affected, made the transfer of the eastern panel a delicate and highly complex operation.

To transfer the eastern panel of the mural with all the necessary guarantees, a company specialising in this type of work and the restoration of works of art was contracted. Its technicians performed a preliminary study on the condition of the mural before it was touched and defined the operations that would be necessary to dismantle and conserve the parts, in addition to numbering and cataloguing them, including data such as their location and position. They also assumed responsibility for supervising the work to remove the slabs to ensure both their integrity and traceability.

The remainder of the mural was protected during the rehabilitation work using geotextile sheets, which were positioned in direct contact with the ceramic, covered with fibre panel and held up by a wooden plank structure.

Thanks to measures employed, we were able to guarantee the conservation status of the mural during the work to refurbish the building and that the transfer of the eastern panel was performed in such a way to fully protect the pieces removed, and that they would be repositioned in line with the original layout designed by the Aragonese artist.

FCC Construcción is concerned for anything that improves the life of its stakeholders. As part of this project, the mural represented an essential element for local society, in particular for teachers, staff and students at the university. Therefore, special efforts were made to protect it with all the necessary guarantees and, as a result, allow them to enjoy this work of art created by a local artist in 1972 once more.