the construction of the Palace

Detail of the capital, entablature and section of the main roof beam in the library reading room, according to the design by A. Ruiz de Salces. MAN

An interesting aspect of the construction of the Palace of the National Library and Museums was the use of iron, a new lightweight and easy-to-assemble material that was ideal for formwork, roofs, reading rooms and library storage vaults. The company Asins, owned by Bernardo Asins, a former royal locksmith, was commissioned to produce the closures and ornamental elements in this new material.