21st Century Architecture in Barcelona
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Santa Caterina Market
Although Gaudí may be the city’s most famous architect, Enric Miralles is undoubtedly one of its modern-day masters. After early collaborations with his first wife, Carme Pinós, Miralles founded EMBT in 1994, alongside his second wife, Benedetta Tagliabue. Their unique architectural language can be spotted across Barcelona, although the Santa Caterina market is probably their most prominent work in the city. Originally the site of a 13th-century convent, the neoclassical market was built in the mid-19th century after the convent burnt down, and was renovated by EMBT between 1997 and 2005. The project breathed new life into a then-forgotten corner of the Ciutat Vella and was part of a multi-use redevelopment. The market’s theatrical roof is the single most important element: an undulating, dynamic magic carpet of colour, draped over a world of smells and tastes within. Inside, natural light filters through slits in the timber and steel structure, and its organic form makes for an inspiring backdrop to the weekly shop. The roof’s glazed ceramic surface—designed by Toni Comella and made up of 325,000 hexagonal tiles in 67 colours—is a modern take on Gaudí’s trademark trencadís tiling and takes its palette from the myriad hues of the fruit and vegetable market stalls. Sadly, Miralles never got to see it. He died in 2000, aged 45, five years before the market’s completion.
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Torre Agbar
French starchitect Jean Nouvel has made his presence felt in the city over recent years with a host of high-profile projects, the most notable being the Torre Agbar. Designed in collaboration with local practice b720, the 38-storey phallic-shaped building stands prominently on Barcelona’s skyline. Nouvel described it as a giant geyser rising from the earth, inspired by the towers of Gaudí’s Sagrada Família and the bizarre rock formations of Montserrat. A chameleon-like skin of profiled aluminium sheeting and glass louvres wraps around the reinforced concrete structure, glittering red, orange and blue in the Mediterranean sunshine—although nighttime is when it really comes to life, lit by 4,500 LEDs. At 144m, the tower is the third tallest building in the city and was quickly embraced by its citizens. The tower’s inhabitants, however, have not been so impressed. In early 2017, the building was sold for the second time in three years, with tenants complaining about various impracticalities: dirty windows, an awkward layout and inoperable sun blinds. Originally built as the headquarters of water company Grupo Agbar, it has now been acquired by Merlin Properties, who changed the official name to Torre Glòries.
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Edifici Fòrum
In 2004, Barcelona hosted the Universal Forum of Cultures, a 141-day international event that included dozens of conventions, performing arts, markets and exhibitions. As well as a huge promotional event for the city, it brought about a large-scale urban regeneration of the seafront area at the end of Avinguda Diagonal: 30 hectares of no man’s land between Port Olímpic and Sant Adrià de Besòs. At the heart of the project was the Klein blue triangular-shaped convention centre by prolific Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Built on a huge platform over the city’s ring road, the Ronda Litoral, Herzog and de Meuron’s statement building appears to float above the ground and includes a 3,200-seat auditorium, vast exhibition areas, foyer spaces and a restaurant. A series of courtyards cut through the elevated volume, and light flows between different levels of the building and outdoor space, blurring the boundary between exterior and interior. The ultramarine skin that wraps around this equilateral triangle—each side 180m long—is interspersed with jagged lines of mirrored glass, which on clear days create a two-tone blue effect with slits of sky sitting between the rough render facade. Today, it’s known as the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB) and houses the Museu de les Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.
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Joan Oliver Library
Barcelona knows how to do the grand gesture, but great design also trickles down to the ordinary, public buildings of the city. This local library in Sant Antoni is one such example. Designed by this year’s Pritzker Prize winners, Olot-based RCR Arquitectes, the sleek, black metal building stands in elegant contrast to the 19th-century brick and render streetscape of Carrer del Comte Borrell. The building contains a library and day centre for the elderly, although the principal driving force behind the project was the reuse of the block’s internal courtyard, just as Ildefons Cerdà, who designed the Eixample, originally intended. The five-storey library acts as a gateway building that unifies the courtyard and the street—a double height opening allows the seamless continuation of public space—and the single-storey day centre lines the edges of the playpark and patio area within. Glazed facades are veiled in black steel louvres, while polished concrete floors, unexpected views and circulation bridges lend an uplifting energy to the neighbourhood library. The essence of this socially dynamic urban project, however, lies not in aesthetics but in its ability to bring people of all ages together.