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The La Molina mountain station, of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), is facing the final phase of the rehabilitation works of the set of buildings and facilities of the Niu de l’Àliga. The action consists of adapting the shelter, enabling the roofs to build a large terrace, new public bathrooms, building a multipurpose room and rearranging the accesses. The new buildings follow the original hexagonal beehive scheme, adapting to the levels of the terrain and therefore, integrating the aesthetics of the construction into the environment. Located on the summit of La Tosa, within the municipality of Bagà (Berguedà), at 2,537 meters, the Niu de l’Àliga is the highest guarded shelter in the Eastern Pyrenees. The action, with an investment of 2.2 million euros, is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

The president of Ferrocarrils, Carles Ruiz Novella, explained, during the meeting of the La Molina Advisory Commission, that the work on the Niu de l’Àliga “is a unique rehabilitation of the tallest accessible building in Catalonia, located in a privileged location. And precisely for this reason we wanted the renovation to be fully integrated into the environment. The new Niu de l’Àliga reinforces the values ​​of the territory and is part of the strategy of diversification and deseasonalization of activities in FGC mountain resorts”.

The modernization of the Niu

The Niu de l’Àliga was made up of two different and connected buildings: the rectangular hangar and the refuge-restaurant. Adjoining it was the arrival station of the La Molina gondola, which is the main arrival point for users and has an entrance in the southeast area independent of the refuge. Now, the work consists of:

• Adaptation of the refuge on the ground floor. This action has been designed with sustainable and self-sufficient building criteria, with the implementation of solar capture elements to heat the rooms taking advantage of the good orientation of the building. It goes from 30 to 72 beds.
• Enabling the surface of the new roofs of the refuge to convert them into a terrace space for the bar and restaurant, both for summer and winter.
• Relocation of the warehouse and basic services, construction of new public bathrooms, a new transformer station and a new access from the Masella area.
• Construction of a multipurpose room connected to the restaurant, which will allow the organization of events and conventions.
• Reorganization of the accesses from the upper station of the gondola, with the construction of a new covered area protected from the weather to improve the accessibility and comfort of users when they arrive at this unique place.
• Expansion of the water collection surface on the roof and terraces, for the subsequent reuse of the different existing rainwater tanks.

With all these actions, the flow of visitors from the upper station of the gondola to the Niu building will be improved; part of the interior and exterior will be adapted, with the demolition of the arrival porch of the gondola and the hangar; the exterior will be adapted to expand the terrace and shelter space, and the access routes will be adapted for people with reduced mobility. A semi-outdoor space, greenhouse type, will also be gained, to collect the exit of users of the gondola, and as a measure of protection against the local climate.

Last summer, the first phase of the rehabilitation began, with an investment of 942,000 euros, which consisted of the renovation of the catering units, the construction of a new gastronomic kitchen and the construction of a new fast food restaurant to serve hikers and skiers. The completion of the entire project will not only mean the modernization of the refuge but also consolidate the Niu de l’Àliga as a benchmark for sustainable tourism in the Pyrenees.