The DGRD’s cuartel for the Civil Guard: A propaganda-adapted model

Abstract

The Civil Guard barracks, promoted by the Directorate-General of Devastated Regions [Dirección General de Regiones Devastadas, DGRD] (1939-1957), are an exception within the general marginality of this hybrid architecture in architectural historiography. However, such a prominence has led to a distorted and partial approach to the architecture of these barracks, ignoring the contemporary production of the Civil Guard’s technical services. This is the first study that deals with the post-war promotion of barracks, offering an analysis that sheds light on the interdependencies and contributions made by each organisation. The methodology is based on a bibliographical review, which includes the Reconstrucción journal, the consultation of the projects in the archives that hold the documentation of both organisations and the comparative analysis of their productions. This paper aims to show how the DGRD based the promotion of its barracks on the models created by the architects attached to the Civil Guard, taking them directly and adapting them to its propagandistic interests according to Franco’s ideology using strategic implantation, a commitment to specific typologies, excessive ornamentation and the emphasis on a collective way of life.

Keywords

• primer franquismo
• arquitectura militar
• tipología
• vivienda colectiva
• arquitectos