Glass Palace

The Palacio de Cristal takes the form of a Greek cross and is constructed mostly from glass set within an iron framework on a brick base adorned with ceramics. Its height exceeds 22 meters due to its cupola.

Although the Delicias station in Madrid, a work of French architecture erected in 1880, had already featured large-scale glass and iron construction, the curved design of the Palacio de Cristal is more reminiscent of the techniques pioneered by British architects Joseph Paxton and Decimus Burton. The former was responsible for London's Crystal Palace while the latter designed the Palm House at Kew Gardens.

One of the main venues of the 1887 Philippines Exposition, the Palacio de Cristal's cast-iron frame was produced in Bilbao. The building was designed to be easily disassembled and reassembled in a new location, as was done with the equivalent structure in London. However, it still stands next to a lake on its original site, where it has been restored to its original appearance.

Currently, the Palacio de Cristal is used for art exhibitions and is no longer used as a greenhouse.