The Department of Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports has presented the basic project for the interior adaptation of the Paloma Blanca building (located on the Ses Figuerasses estate) in the municipality of Banyalbufar, aimed at transforming it into a hikers’ shelter while also allowing for social use.
The project involves the conversion of the former residence into a shelter and its integration into the stages of the Dry Stone Route, making it the eighth mountain refuge in the Consell de Mallorca’s network of shelters.
Second Vice President and Minister for Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports Pedro Bestard presented the details of the project, which will serve a dual purpose: as a hikers’ shelter and as a facility for social use, fulfilling the wish of Ian Adamson, who donated the estate to the island institution so that it could be enjoyed by disadvantaged children and young people.
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Consell de Mallorca Presents the Project to Convert the Paloma Blanca Building in Ses Figuerasses, Banyalbufar, into a Hikers’ Shelter
Thus, during the summer months, the facilities will be available for minors, while for the rest of the year, the estate will function as the eighth shelter along the Dry Stone Route.
The Minister highlighted “the enormous work being done by the Department to strengthen and improve the Consell de Mallorca’s shelter network” and recalled that “the Coma d’en Vidal refuge was recently opened, and now we present this new mountain shelter project, which will serve as a resting point on an excessively long stage and will connect the Galatzó and Can Boi shelters.”
The incorporation of this shelter into the Dry Stone Route will allow stages 2-3 (between the Galatzó refuge in Calvià and the Can Boi refuge in Deià) to be shortened, adding an intermediate stop at section 18 of stage 2, thereby easing the journey for hikers.
Bestard also thanked Marie Claude Lucie Coyne and Ian Adamson “for their altruistic work for more than three decades in support of disadvantaged minors, particularly during summer, a social function that we will continue in accordance with their express wishes.”
Project Details
The shelter will have a capacity of 38 beds (distributed in four rooms of 8, 8, 10, and 12 beds) plus an additional two-bed room for the shelter wardens. The building covers 524 square meters and is located on the 19,000-square-meter Ses Figuerasses estate, nestled in the Serra de Tramuntana with spectacular views.
The new layout is based on the principle of functional economy, avoiding unused spaces, and includes renovation, repairs, and upgrades to adapt the building for its new functions as both a hikers’ and social shelter.
The design organizes the shelter into clearly defined areas: reception, management and administration, bedrooms, staff quarters, general service areas, and specific service areas. It will also include a dining room and a common area for users.
In May 2025, the assignment for drafting the execution project, safety and health study, activity project, and construction management for the adaptation works was approved, with a total budget of €137,647 for these tasks.
The timeframe for drafting documents is six months, while construction management and health and safety coordination will extend over eighteen months. The estimated basic project budget for the works amounts to €1,216,253.
Donation to the Consell de Mallorca
The Ses Figuerasses estate (Paloma Blanca) in the municipality of Banyalbufar was purchased in the mid-1970s by Ian Adamson, an officer in the British Royal Air Force, who commissioned architect Emilio Gené Ramios to design the single-family home.
In the years following its construction, the couple dedicated the property to a pioneering program hosting summer camps for disadvantaged youth. Following Ian Adamson’s death, his widow donated the property to the Consell de Mallorca, fulfilling his wish that it continue to serve underprivileged children.
Twelve years later, on November 17, 2023, the Consell de Mallorca posthumously recognized Ian Adamson’s dedication to disadvantaged children and young people by awarding him the title of Adoptive Son of Mallorca. His widow accepted the distinction and formalized the donation of the building to the Consell as part of his legacy.