1926 – 2026
The Casa del Ebro now displays the Centenary banner on its façade on Paseo de Sagasta. The banner serves as a visible announcement of the commemorative year: the historic headquarters of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE) conveys a message of openness to the city as the Centenary begins.
17/02/2026
The banner has been positioned to complement the building’s verticality and the rhythm of its openings, ensuring the intervention does not act as a “backdrop”. The objective is to provide information without competing with the facade: first, the building is recognized; then, the Centenary message is read.
The building’s history begins before its construction: the CHE required a permanent headquarters and sought a site and location from its earliest years. The institutional blog provides a detailed account in Seeking a site for La Casa del Ebro, based on historical documentation and the urban context of Paseo de Sagasta.
It serves as an excellent starting point for understanding the expectations for the headquarters: continuity, method, and a river basin perspective.
The final headquarters emerged from the 1933 competition and was built between 1936 and 1946. Designed by Regino and José Borobio, it is one of the most significant examples of rationalism in Zaragoza: architecture designed to organize work, with an “E” shaped floor plan, functional structure, and serialized solutions aimed at efficiency and flexibility.
The building is protected as a site of cultural interest (BIC), classified as a monument. Its heritage value is complemented by the bas-reliefs on the portico, the work of Félix Burriel (1942), and the monolith fountain by Ángel Orensanz (1984), located in front of the façade.
Regino and José Borobio developed a sober rationalism: clear floor plans, modulation, repetition, and unpretentious materials, with a central idea—architecture as the organization of use and work.
They applied this logic with particular clarity to projects related to water management: in addition to the headquarters on Paseo de Sagasta, they participated in projects promoted by the institution, such as the Pavilion of Confederación Sindical Hidrográfica del Ebro (CSHE) at the Barcelona International Exposition (1929), designed to communicate a technical project to the public, and the Almudévar Agricultural Center, linked to agricultural modernization.
