The town council's decision to locate the new town building within the historical centre of the town was a significant one. The historical centre, was losing its importance within Murcia, a developing moderate scale city in Eastern Spain. The historical and business centres of the city were located on opposite sides of the river that traverses through the city. The council's decision to place the primary public building of the town within the main historical square represented a re-connection of the people with the historical centre.
Whilst having some similarities in its facade design, Casa del Fascio, on the other hand was a building designed with the deliberate intention to intimidate. In fact, due to the modern facade government authorities were concerned that the power and dominance of the building would be lost on the general public, as such, decorations as shown were applied at various times.
The differences in their facade designs demonstrate the differences in the buildings intentions. Moneo whilst hinting at historical facade provides relief and rhythm in the different sized openings. None of this can be seen in Casa del Fascio, where Terragni maintains the strict form of the building.
The buildings have clear differences in their intended positions within society. Ayuntamiento de Murica by Moneo, was certainly a building of the people, whilst Casa del Fascio by Terragni was a building designed to stand over the people. This is even emphasized in the manner in which the buildings are published, particularly evident in the elevation images above.
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