The building of the Botica Nova, a house and a pharmacy designed for his pharmacist brother José Palacios, reflects not only the architect’s ability to adapt to a low construction budget, but also his skilfulness to bring modern, progressive elements to his works when he was not under the pressure of the person behind the commission. In addition, the Botica’s simplicity, with façades devoid of the virtuoso ornamentation we are used to seeing in Palacios’ work, helps to cast aside the idea of monumentalism with which he was always labelled. In this small building, we should highlight the original solution of rounding off its corner, creating some continuity, a sort of continuous façade, that both lends a high level of plastic expressiveness to the work and gives it compositional unity. At the top of the curve, the architect placed a piece, by way of a tower, that constitutes the building’s most prominent element. It displays a bluish ceramic mosaic bearing a sign that reads, ‘Botica Nova de Palacios’ (Palacios’ New Pharmacy), lending a note of colour to the whole of the building.

The Botica Nova also has a strong historical value for O Porriño, as this was the place where José Palacios organised gatherings that were attended by important figures linked to the Galician cultural world. In addition to the architect himself and his brother, other regular participants in these gatherings included the painter Antonio Medal, Enrique Peinador Vela and Enrique Peinador Lines, Ramón Cabanillas, Jaime Solá, Valentín Paz Andrade or the physician Manuel Paz Varela, among others. From time to time, they would organise excursions or walks to enjoy the rich landscapes and monuments in the area.