Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is located on the outskirts of the Asturian city of the same name and is, together with the Valle de Cuelgamuros (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid), the most outstanding example of the architecture from the period of Franco's dictatorship. Its location was determined by proximity to the urban centre and the surrounding factories, as well as its perfect adaptation to the urban expansion plans envisaged to date.

The origin of the complex dates back to 1946, when the construction works were awarded to the José Antonio Girón Foundation, a charitable-educational institution founded a year earlier in honour of the head of the Ministry of Labour during Franco's dictatorship. On that date, the organisation was commissioned to build a mining orphanage near Gijón, to be converted into a Labour University in accordance with the 1949 Law of Bases for Secondary and Vocational Education.

As we will analyse in later chapters of this report, the Asturian Universidad Laboral must be placed in a wider group of this type of teaching centres, scattered throughout the country and representative of vocational education during the dictatorial period. Its objectives were the cultural, moral, patriotic and professional training of orphaned children within the ideological parameters of national Catholicism and national trade unionism. In this sense, education was run by religious orders and was oriented towards spiritual growth within the framework of the Catholic faith, the idea of work as an element for national growth and the trade unionist organisation of society through vertical trade unions depending on the sector.

Of all of them, Gijón/Xixón was the first, holding the title of the largest civil building in Spain until the inauguration of Terminal 1 of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport in 2009. The Gijón site has a surface area of 270,000 square metres.

These colossal dimensions did not overshadow the unquestionable architectural and artistic quality of the Universidad Laboral, which combines numerous artistic disciplines and techniques such as architecture, mural painting, mosaics, stained glass and gardening.

The main architect was Luis Moya Blanco (Madrid, 1904 - 1990), a staunch defender of classicism in theory and practice, who completed his masterpiece in Gijón. Accompanying him in this great endeavour were other outstanding professionals, such as María Juana Ontañón Sánchez-Arbós (the fourth woman to graduate in architecture in Spain), Manuel López Mateos, Luis García Amorena, Juan Moya Blanco, Enrique Huidobro, José Manuel Aizpurúa and Luis Martínez Feduchi. In the field of the visual arts, the presence of the painters Enrique Segura Iglesias, Joaquín Valverde, Carlos Pascual Laras and Francisco Arias, and the sculptors Manuel Álvarez Laviada and Florentino Trapero Ballesteros was outstanding. The gardens were designed by Javier Winthuyssen and the furniture was purchased from Biosca, a company from Madrid. 

As is typical of the architectural promotions of Franco's dictatorship and based on the theoretical precepts of Luis Moya, historic elements are evident throughout the complex, which is influenced by classicism and the influence of the Escorial style. In spite of its classical predominance, the difficult situation of the international style after the Civil War did not prevent the architects from including it in certain areas of the building where rationalism would respond better to the functional needs of its uses. This is the case, for example, of the workshops and the auditorium, the latter bearing the signature of the pioneer Juana Ontañón.

The construction work on the Universidad Laboral de Gijón lasted until 1965, following the guidelines of the original project and bringing about this hybridisation between classicism and modernity which is a unique characteristic of Spanish architecture of this period and of which the University of Gijón is one of its greatest and best exponents.

The theoretical depth of its creators means that we must turn to Renaissance and Baroque works for references. This is the case for The Ideal City, a work from the Italian quattrocento attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini.

The constructed area can be grouped into four main parts: the Somió Agronomic Farm, the workshops, the gardens and sports area and, finally, the monumental University buildings. Over the following pages, we will provide a detailed description of each of the many sections that make up the ensemble.

The main building, which is dominated by classical features, is arranged around a large central courtyard. As with the Italian panel mentioned above, the elliptical church stands at the front, presiding over the surroundings in a free-standing manner. At its foot stands the clock tower, one of the most representative elements of the complex. The courtyard also opens onto the various rooms with monumental façades, such as the theatre, the management and the board of trustees. To the west, the complex is enclosed by the circular convent of the Poor Clares, to the east by the workshops, and to the south by the gardens and sports facilities.

After the dissolution of the foundation in charge of its management in 1977, the centre was given new names while maintaining its character as an educational institution. However, in the last two decades, the involvement of public administrations has made it possible to re-prioritise and adapt this key element of our country's heritage for new uses. Its declaration as an Asset of Cultural Interest has guaranteed its integral conservation and its adaptation for new uses.

The facilities of Laboral Centro de Arte, Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático, Municipal Conservatory, Jovellanos Faculty of the University of Oviedo, Vocational Training Centre, headquarters of the Asturian public television station TPA, Theatre, Sociedad Pública de Gestión y Promoción Turística and the Empresa Pública Sociedad de Servicios del Principado.

Gatehouse and Corinthian courtyard: The entrance to the enclosure is located on the eastern façade, dignified in the manner of a Roman triumphal arch and communicating the exterior with the main courtyard through a rectangular Corinthian atrium. This entrance tower has two superimposed parts. The lower one, which is larger in height and surface area, contains the semicircular arch that facilitates access, enclosed by monumental wrought iron grilles. The interior space is covered with a barrel vault. The upper body is triphoric on its larger sides, openwork and with a hipped metal roof topped by a large stone pyramid. On the main façade, above the entrance arch, there is a large coat of arms supported by angels, made by the sculptor Manuel Álvarez Laviada. Above the coat of arms, in a single field, is the emblem of the Universidad Laboral, consisting of the Victoria cross and the yoke and arrows. Once through the keep, a large Corinthian atrium opens up, giving access to the main courtyard. It is inspired by the classical Vitruvian model and consists of ten columns distributed in three of its four pandas. Each of them has a monumental appearance, with five drums per shaft, a height of ten and a half metres and capitals of acanthus leaves with volutes of great technical virtuosity. This space now houses the reception and shop of the monumental complex, in a space previously used as an art gallery. The porticoed space is lit from above by skylights in the roof. The central space of the courtyard, originally open, was enclosed with glass to let in natural light and, at the same time, protect those inside from the weather.

Courtyard: The central courtyard is the articulating axis of the entire University. It is accessed through the entrance described in the previous section, located in the south-east corner of the building. This decentralised location allows visitors entering the courtyard to direct their gaze towards the two buildings whose façades denote greater complexity and ostentation: the church and the theatre. For his design, Luis Moya was inspired by St. Mark's Square in Venice (Italy), which has similar dimensions: 150 metres long and 50 metres wide. Its ample space served as a way of reducing the crowds that frequented the different facilities, as well as for the sporting exhibitions typical of Franco's education. The visual predominance of the church as the centrepiece of this cityis a declaration of intent for the national Catholic ideal of the time. The other three courtyard wings are presided over by the theatre, the director's quarters and the board of trustees' quarters, all of which are set on a perimetrical, supported stereobath accessed by means of four steps. The classical influences are once again evident. The Herrerian style prevails in the succession of lintelled or semicircular arches framed by pilasters, which separate the courtyard from the entrances to the different buildings. In addition, the north and south areas have galleries leading directly to the first floor of the church, in a reference to Palladio's architecture. The courtyard has not undergone any substantial modifications. There are only two monuments that have not been executed: one dedicated to José Antonio Girón as the promoter of the complex and the other, an equestrian monument to the dictator Francisco Franco. The latter would have been designed by Enrique Pérez Comendador. 

Church: The church is the most important building in the complex. Its dimensions, with an elliptical floor plan measuring 40.8 by 25.2 metres, give a total surface area of more than 800 square metres, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The entire structure is enclosed by a magnificent vault, erected in two months using the partitioned vault system. Of Borrominesque aesthetics, it is made up of twenty brick arches that meet in the centre, where a starry oculus opens, topped by a seventeen-metre high lantern decorated with a mosaic inside. Once again, classical reminiscences are evident, especially with regard to the architecture of the Modern Age. The exterior is dominated by the use of exposed stone, with a dynamic approach to the façades based on curves and counter-curves and alternating openings and massifs. Inside, there are four side chapels and the main altar, which is very high above the nave. It contains four nine-metre-high pink granite columns that would have originally formed part of an unfinished baldachin. The sculptural virtuosity of the Corinthian capitals that crown them is in keeping with the quality of the ample saints' shrines on the exterior. The height of the interior, which reaches thirty-five metres to the oculus, allowed for the arrangement of galleries and tribunes on the upper floors. On the exterior, the artistic contributions are particularly noteworthy. On the one hand, the five large mosaics designed by Joaquín Valverde alluding to the archangels Saint Raphael and Saint Michael, as well as the Evangelists John, Luke and Matthew. In addition, Manuel Álvarez Laviada sculpted a rich saint's shrine that crowns the upper part of the building. In the central part we find the Virgin of Covadonga, Saint James the Apostle and an interpretation of the Victoria Cross supported by angels. On either side are representations of St Joseph, St Peter, St Paul and St Ignatius. Along the rest of the perimeter are Saint John of the Cross, Saint John Bosco, Saint Vincent Ferrer, Brother Melchor de Quirós, Saint Clare, Saint Peter of Alcántara, Saint Lawrence, Saint Isidore, Saint Teresa, Saint Dominic of Guzmán, Saint Francis, Saint Joseph of Calasanz, Saint Eulalia of Mérida, Ferdinand III, Saint Isidore and Saint Toribio of Liébana. The temple, now deconsecrated, is the venue for temporary events that have not altered its original physiognomy. The original furniture has been preserved, such as benches, kneelers and confessionals made by Biosca, and the Principality of Asturias is currently restoring the roof.

Theatre: The theatre is the second most visually dominant building in the courtyard. Its main façade opens on the north wing and is inspired by the classical world. Luis Moya undoubtedly draws from buildings such as the market gate at Miletus or the library at Ephesus, although in this case with dimensions similar to those of the Athenian Parthenon. The Hellenistic-inspired façade has two storeys, both of which are surmounted by pink granite columns in superimposed orders: Doric for the lower one and Corinthian for the upper one. In between, there is a walkable balcony that connects directly to the reception room. The façade is topped off at the top by triangular, open, curved pediments. On the central axis, crowning the façade, is the national coat of arms of the time, a monumental and prodigious work by the sculptor Manuel Álvarez Laviada. On either side of it are portraits by Florentino Trapero Ballesteros of Francisco de Quevedo, Calderón de la Barca, Lope de Vega, Miguel de Cervantes, Tirso de Molina and Leandro Fernández de Moratín. The lobby is finished with marble and granite slabs of different colours on the walls and floors. From the sides of the auditorium, staircases lead to the upper parts of the auditorium and the painting room. This room, previously known as the reception room, is profusely decorated with frescoes by Enrique Segura alluding to the foundation of the Universidad Laboral and the triumph of good over evil, with a formal layout clearly inspired by the Sistine Chapel. The stalls and the stage box were modified to adapt the theatre to modern times. The original furniture, from the Biosca house, was replaced and the mural by Enrique Segura on the stage was covered to comply with the regulations on Historical Memory.

Auditorium and cafeteria: The building that houses the cafeteria and the main auditorium is unnoticed from the central courtyard, hidden behind the façade of the board of trustees, and is particularly prominent from the University gardens. It owes its design to the ingenuity of Manuel López-Mateos and María Juana Ontañón, two young architects who distanced themselves from the prevailing classicism of the rest of the complex and came up with an innovative solution, in line with the functionalist approaches of the Modern Movement. This construction stands on pillars, leaving a walkable space underneath where the strength and expressiveness of the concrete beams can be seen. Although stone predominates, this time there is no attempt to conceal the supporting systems. It has a metal cover. Its interior side walls were to be covered with two mural paintings by Delhy Tejero alluding to the sciences and the arts. This project was not executed, but the sketches are preserved. This tiered aula magna is shaped like a prow, with the stage at the curved end. It is part of the inventory of the Iberian Docomomo Foundation and is connected by a spiral staircase to the staff and teachers' room on the lower floor, which today serves as a cafeteria. This second space has a zigzagging bar topped with stoneware and a large space that closes, on its curved side, with a mural by Francisco Arias depicting a procession of the Virgin of Covadonga accompanied by groups of people who represent Asturian society: regional costumes, farmers, fishermen, stockbreeders, miners and workers.

Jovellanos Faculty. University of Oviedo: The Jovellanos Faculty of the University of Oviedo is located on the south side of the central courtyard, between the patronage façade and the Corinthian atrium. This space, which had previously been used as a classroom, has several interesting architectural elements. On the one hand, there are the classrooms, which maintain their roofing with a succession of original vaulted vaults between beams. On the other hand, the spiral staircases of different floors and elevations that are distributed throughout the building in order to connect the different floors. However, special attention should be paid to the rooms that currently serve as a library. They are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the Corinthian atrium and their most characteristic feature lies in the use of the parabolic vault, which facilitates the transmission of thrusts by optimising the materials and, at the same time, gives them great plasticity.

Kitchens: The Universidad Laboral’s kitchens are, due to their size and architectural design, one of the most interesting parts. They can be found at the back of the complex, behind the clock tower and in the vicinity of the former community buildings of the Society of Jesus. Due to their use, they are also directly connected to the women's convent, which is in charge of their management. The sheer number of students and staff required the design of large kitchens to meet this need. Illuminated by large round windows opening onto interior courtyards, these rooms are completely tiled in white and stand out for their lightness and functionality. From the very first moment they were equipped with all types of machinery, the most cutting-edge of the time, to facilitate the tasks. There is a general work area, a cleaning area, a refrigeration area and a final area for kneading and baking. Among its most outstanding elements is the large central chimney, which stands out on the outside due to its great height and, on the inside, due to the concrete structure it houses.

Address: The management area, currently occupied by the offices of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, is located in the east wing of the complex. Its main façade is set back from the rest of the facades, incorporating two lateral columns of pink granite that span two storeys. They are topped by Corinthian capitals. The main floor, which houses the director's office with a larger span, is crossed by a symbolic walkable balcony. The cornice is surmounted by a triangular pediment, at the ends of which are two sculptures of writers that had been removed from the theatre in 1986 because of their small size. An original Baroque-inspired courtyard garden was laid out in the immediate vicinity. From the entrance, two staircases open on both sides of the oval floor, leading directly to the interior of the management quarters. These staircases are framed by curved, classically-inspired serlianas.

Board of Trustees: The main façade of the Foundation's board of trustees opens onto the south wing, in a space between the Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the cafeteria. As in other previously analysed cases, its location is indicated by a projection on the ground plan with respect to the rest of the building. Its three levels are divided into two parts. The lower one, which supports the continuous balcony, stands on square pillars made of the same stone as the rest of the building. The upper one, repeating patterns already seen, incorporates pink granite columns topped by Corinthian capitals that end in an entablature. Above them are images of four writers by Manuel Álvarez Laviada. Inside is the so-called rock garden. In it, apart from the staircase, the representations made by Laviada himself about effort, work, sport and study can be seen.

Workshops: The workshops constitute, together with the Agronomic Farm of Somió, the main reason for the existence of the Universidad Laboral. Its 39,000 square metres housed the specialised technical training required by Asturian companies in areas such as mechanics and electricity. They are made up of a succession of naves, all with a span of 19.20 metres, which slope down naturally towards the north, using the slope. The numerous bodies into which each of the aisles is divided facilitate the opening of openings in the roof which, taking the form of a saw, provide natural light for the work space. Its facilities housed workshops for adjustment and assembly, lathe, milling, grinding, sharpening, welding, sheet metal, precision, carpentry, various machines and general services. Today its use is divided between the Integrated Vocational Training Centre, which preserves examples of the original machinery, and the Centre for Art and Industrial Creation.

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial: LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is one of the most outstanding facilities of the new uses of the former Universidad Laboral. It can be found in the easternmost part of the workshops and also includes a new annexe of high architectural quality that did not substantially alter the original building. This new building, designed by the architect Andrés Diego Llaca, serves as a large foyer and library for the new centre, with indirect lighting provided by the lateral and overhead openings in the building. Making use of the diaphanous nature of the old workshops, this centre allows artists in residence to attend, host different exhibitions at the same time and in different formats, and encourage creativity through spaces such as its laboratory.

Clock tower: The clock tower is the most visible element of the complex from the immediate vicinity. Its 117.60 metres in height and distribution into different quadrangular bodies, which gradually become smaller in size, recall a new historical reminiscence that Moya used for his design: the Giralda of Seville. It has five sections with this layout and another two, in the upper part, with a circular floor plan. Above these is a seventeen-metre high spike. The robustness of the structure is evident in the depth of its foundations, which reach a depth of sixteen metres underground. It is currently made up of different rooms, connected by a lift, and its upper terrace can be accessed for tourist visits, as it offers a beautiful and interesting panoramic view of Gijón.

Convent of the Poor Clares: The convent was added at the westernmost end of the complex, compared to the original project. Its location was determined by the need to connect, by means of a passageway, this building with the kitchens and laundries of the Universidad Laboral without altering the enclosure. It is a circular building with a central courtyard that until recently housed a palm tree. The ground floor contained spaces such as the parlour, the administration rooms, the chapter house, the rooms for the laymen and the cells. The refectory and a large number of other rooms were located on the second floor. In the third, all the rooms dedicated to the laundry, and in the fourth, the remaining cells and an open loggia with a colonnade. Today, after a process of restoration that involved the construction of an annex building, it houses the offices of the Public Radio and Television of the Principality of Asturias.

Somió Agronomic Farm: The Somió Agronomic Farm was, together with the workshops, the main asset of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón. The agricultural and industrial training of the students was essential, as well as ensuring the supply of the raw materials needed to feed the more than 1,000 inmates. For this purpose, this Farm and others, further away, such as the one at La Llorea, were set up. The main building, which has a monumental façade framed by two square towers, was converted into the Secondary School and the area of the stables and silos was duly restored to house the premises of the Spanish University of Distance Education (UNED).

Gardens and sports area: The gardens are of paramount importance at the Universidad Laboral de Gijón. As with the sports areas, they will occupy a large area to the south of the building complex and, in cases such as the one in the image, in areas bordering the women's convent. It is organised into terraces, allowing it to adapt to the topography of the area. Its play areas include swimming pools, football, basketball, handball and tennis courts, as well as athletics tracks. The gardens owe their design to Javier de Winthuysen and Ramón Ortiz Ferré and have fountains, ponds, irrigation channels and pergolas. Their layout is regular and neoclassical in style.

The exceptional universal value of the site of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is given by a series of attributes present in the place from the moment of its conception in the middle of the 20th century.

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón, with all its architectural, cultural, landscape, educational and social programme, was born from the intention of being a key element of the Franco dictatorship to enable a new state to be established, at a time of post-war European political situation after the Second World War in which Spain remained under a totalitarian regime, unlike almost all Western European countries - with the exception of Portugal - in which the conception of state development had as its main pillar the idea of both economic and cultural self-reliance, the consolidation of which required the population to be directed towards the achievement of these ideas.

The purpose of the Universidad Laboral was to build a great monument which was to function as an exemplary autonomous entity that would operate as an ideal city according to the ideas of the new state, and which would serve as the first stone of a system of labour universities spread throughout Spain, in which new generations of Spaniards would be trained under the political principles of National Catholicism and instructed to be the productive force of a new economic model based on the selfsufficiency of the country.

To achieve this objective, a large monument was erected on the outskirts of Gijón, the largest building constructed in Spain until the 21st century, to contain all the uses necessary to make a model ‘ideal city’ function, which was to be a showcase for the dictatorship and a symbol of the new Spain. In this way, the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón became the most emblematic building of the Franco dictatorship, which would serve as an example for the rest of the labour universities created in Spain.

The architectural conception of the complex is an exercise in rejection, at least in a covert way, of the so-called International Style prevailing at the time of construction. The official line of Francoism called for adapting the architectural and urban planning language to classical models, for which a team of technicians and artists led by the architect Luis Moya Blanco was called upon. With references to Classical Antiquity and with the idea of the universality of classicism as an ideological bastion to be embodied in the buildings, they designed this ‘ideal city’ as the last great monument to be built following a classical style.

However, within the elements of the programme, there are structures and spaces devised at La Laboral that respond to models that were inspired by the Modern Movement, which is also present in such a unique element as the auditorium and the cafeteria, designed later by Juana Ontañón, one of the first female architects qualify in Spain.

The various elements of the complex are a catalogue of construction techniques in which systems such as the partitioned vault were used, whose maximum expression within the complex is the vault of the church, considered the largest in the world made of masonry elements with axial dimensions of 40.8 metres on the major axis and 25.2 metres on the minor axis, surpassing that of the Italian sanctuary of Vicoforte, considered the record work to date in this field. Other records achieved in the Laboral are that of containing the tallest structural element in Spain built in stone, in this case the tower of the complex, and that of being the building with the largest surface area in the country built before the 21st century, with facilities covering 270,000 square metres.

In addition to all these technical and architectural characteristics, the Universidad Laboral had an influence on Spanish society at the time, as it took in students from different parts of the country and was a milestone for the teaching of industrial technical education, anticipating the Spanish industrialisation that would take place in the following decades.

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is also an excellent example of the re-purposing of a monument built during a dictatorial period for its reconversion into a facility at the service of the citizens. The arrival of the democratic system in Spain in the 1970s and the disappearance of the labour universities meant that the building was partially emptied of its contents until it was refurbished and put into service as the main cultural, artistic and educational complex in Asturias at the beginning of the 21st century. Although some elements necessary for the interpretation of the monument as a product of an authoritarian regime were kept, with the intention of preserving the integrity and authenticity of the building, the correct presentation of its values in terms of Democratic Memory has meant that the Laboral is an example of the re-purposing of buildings constructed under non-democratic regimes.

The use of the complex as a faculty, theatre, vocational training institute, artistic education centre, exhibition space, art and industrial creation centre and innovation hub, together with the Gijón Science and Technology Park and the faculties of the University of Oviedo, make La Laboral the flagship of the so-called ‘Margarita Salas Mile of Knowledge’, with a cultural and innovation vocation of international repercussion.

Thus, among the main attributes of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón website, the following stand out:

1. The symbolism of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón, as the main reference point for a specific period in the history of Spain, and the emblem and first stone of the system of labour universities in Spain, an educational complex of great social impact on the modern history of the country and its subsequent economic development.

2. The importance of the Universidad Laboral as the main reference point for the concept of the self-sufficient and self-reliant ‘ideal city’, with the development of a complete programme of architectural and landscape intervention that constitutes a unique, singular and irreplaceable testimony to the architecture at the service of self-reliant economic and social policies in post-war European nations.

3. The Universidad Laboral is the last great monument built with a classical architectural language, whose dimensions and technical prowess are a specific and characteristic testimony of the second half of the 20th century in Spain. It constitutes an unusual example of an architectural model in the field of European architecture of the century, due to its singularity and timelessness with respect to the architectural currents in force at the time of its construction.

4. The complex is an excellent example of a multidisciplinary work, combining architecture, urban planning, engineering, landscaping, applied arts and plastic arts, in which the most important names of the Spanish artistic scene of the second half of the 20th century took part to create a total work of art.

5. The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is an example of the recovery and repurposing of a place of memory, having adapted a symbolic element of a non-democratic regime for its recovery as an instrument of didactic and pedagogical function for the democratic memory in Spain, having maintained its integrity and authenticity for the achievement of this purpose, making this function compatible with the integration of new uses at the service of society.

6. The site of the Universidad Laboral, in addition to having been democratically repurposed, has served as a support for the implementation of cultural, educational and economic development uses with an impact on the whole of Asturian society, and with a future international projection as it is the key element of the ‘’Margarita Salas Mile of Knowledge‘’ project, the development of which is oriented towards knowledge generation and transfer in innovative projects that generate wealth in the territory, and which have a special relationship with the sciences and the arts.

Criterion (ii): The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is the first of the twenty-one Spanish institutions created under this name, created in the 1950s with the mission of setting up selfsufficient organisations aimed at providing comprehensive training for the new generations of Spaniards who were to play a leading role in the change from an agricultural and farming economic model to an industrial and service model during the Franco dictatorship. The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón was the pilot project of these institutions which, based on a large building that was to be managed autonomously, as if it were an "ideal city" in which there were all those facilities designed to manage the complex in a self-sufficient manner, used state-promoted classicist architecture to create a large complex that was to serve as a showcase for the political regime of the time and which was also the last great work of this style in Spain and in Europe, constituting an exclusive example of this typology.

Criterion (iv): The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is the last great example of a building developed in Europe as a self-sufficient community with state sponsorship in a country which, at the time of its construction, was moving towards an industrial economy whose labour force had to come from centres such as this one where citizens and workers were trained in a comprehensive manner. The result of this process is a building of large dimensions consisting of administrative, religious, educational, housing and productive spaces that was to function as an ‘ideal city’ aimed at being a self-sufficient space and a model to be followed by other subsequent institutions located in other parts of the country, with the intention of being the base element for national economic and social development through the formation of citizenship. The architecture and the integration of the arts through a team of multidisciplinary technicians made up, among others, of architects, artists and landscape designers, designed a model complex designed according to the ideological postulates and artistic currents promoted at the time by the Spanish state.
The construction of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón meant the creation of the last great classicist building in Europe, in which architectural milestones remain, such as the construction of the largest elliptical temple in the world, the achievement of the highest stone element in the country corresponding to the tower, and the maintenance for five decades of the record as the building with the largest surface area in the country. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the recovery of the Universidad Laboral complex in Gijón/Xixón as a cultural and educational container and its location in the socalled Milla del Conocimiento (Knowledge Mile), as a node in an area of technological industries, has been an important example of the enhancement, re-purposing and recovery of an architectural heritage that is unique on a national scale.

The cultural site of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón preserves intact the characteristics that give it an Outstanding Universal value.

The main features that characterise the site of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón are its character as the last great preserved building of European classicism, its strategic position in the Spanish educational system of the second half of the 20th century - being the flagship of the network of Spanish labour universities - and its character as an ideal city with the intention of achieving self-sufficiency.

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is of proven authenticity, as it has not suffered the effects of high-impact interventions during the decades following its construction. As the building was constructed in the middle of the last century, the extensive documentation available makes it possible to certify that the architectural and landscape design has not undergone substantial changes that would alter its original values, beyond the conservation and maintenance work necessary in a building of this size and with a wide variety of previous and current uses.

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón and its immediate surroundings, i.e. the gardens, sports facilities and farm, have evolved harmoniously, preserving the original legacy of its construction, and have been integrated into the daily life of the citizens of Gijón and Asturias and their economic, social, educational and cultural processes.

The building's strategic position with respect to the urban fabric of Gijón and in a location typical of the suburban areas of Asturian cities, where the boundary between urban and rural areas is blurred, has allowed the complex to be integrated into both types of urban development, making it possible to develop new low-density areas for business, technology, education, housing and open spaces around the Universidad Laboral, conserving its appearance but also being the flagship of these developments, establishing an undeniable interdependent relationship between all the elements.

The various generations that have succeeded one another as users of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón complex have developed dynamic and complex processes, relations and functions, having gone from an ‘ideal city’ intended for training the young generations of a self-sufficient political system to the consolidation of a great administrative, cultural, educational and technological complex, all of this always within the original building and its subsidiary buildings, transformed to house the aforementioned uses.

The degree of conservation of the cultural site of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón/Xixón is evident in the register of the elements that make up the complex, which are in stylistic, volumetric, material, scale, colour and decorative conditions that do not disagree with the original project and which respond to the intention of the team of architects and artists participating in the project to convert this installation into a full work of art that would serve as a showcase for the promoting regime.

This was the most outstanding example of the future network of Spanish labour universities. The cultural site of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón is better preserved than the aforementioned labour universities in the rest of the country, and is, on a European level, a unique piece in terms of its design conception, as an exercise in the composition of a complex with a functional approach ascribed to the artistic movements of the period in which it was built - mid-20th century - but with a classical cover that had to follow the ideological parameters of the Spanish regime, whose references were mainly the architectures of the classical world or those developed by the Spanish Monarchy during the 16th century.

The Universidad Laboral de Gijón, once its period within the network of labour universities came to an end, underwent a process of re-purposing where the complex
intended for the ideological and technical training of the young generations of the former authoritarian state ended up hosting multiple cultural uses open to the public - La Laboral Theatre, Laboral Cinemateca, LABoral Art and Industrial Creation Centre, the Professional Conservatory of Music and Dance of Gijón, the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Asturias -, administrative -Offices of the regional government, Radiotelevisión del Principado de Asturias- and educational -Jovellanos Faculty of Commerce, Tourism and Social Sciences of the University of Oviedo- and also serves as the anchor point of the so-called ‘Margarita Salas’ Mile of Knowledge, a complex of which it forms part and is also integrated by the Science and Technology Park of Gijón, the faculties of the University of Oviedo and the Asturian companies of international dimension.

The architectural modifications have focused only on the theatre's stage box and a building annexed to the RTPA.