Routes to discover the best contemporary architecture in Catalonia

Equalizer"A cemetery is not a tomb... it's not that relationship with the landscape and with oblivion... It seems as if the deaths of all of us leave us immobile..." wrote architects Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós when they designed the new cemetery in Igualada, one of the most important works of its time, both nationally and internationally. "In the landscape, this path is a cloud of trees that echoes the existing profile... you walk beneath these trees, and the burials are in the walls of this cut," they also said. Sunday was a dreary day, and the low clouds accentuated the fact that the cemetery, which was left unfinished in the mid-nineties, is buried in an old streambed. Furthermore, over the years, the concrete has aged, and the unfinished chapel has a monumental character and, at the same time, a somewhat unsettling quality. "Descending, beneath the trees, leaving the cut towards the river: something like a promenade, and some existing trees have led you somewhere else," Miralles and Pinós said.

This visit to the Igualada cemetery and other contemporary buildings in the city kicked off the cycle Contemporary heritage: to know, to value, to preserveOrganized by the Association of Architects for the Defense and Intervention in Architectural Heritage of the College of Architects of Catalonia (AADIPA) within the framework of Barcelona's designation as World Capital of Architecture. "We have promoted these routes because we understand that contemporary architecture is largely forgotten, and we wanted to take on the challenge of valuing it," states Josep Maria Boronat, president of AADIPA. "We must reclaim the architectural heritage of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries as a fundamental part of our collective memory." The routes are free, but registration is required. The website of the World Capital of Architecture, Barcelona.

The visit continued with the crematorium that Carme Pinós designed about ten years ago on the same grounds, strategically placed so as not to disrupt visits to and the overall experience of the cemetery, which is listed as a cultural asset of national interest (BCIN). Miralles and Pinós forged a very personal, shared artistic language before going their separate ways, resulting in a crematorium that is both sculptural and welcoming. The small, intimate space, designed for families who wish to say goodbye to their loved one before taking them to the cremation room, which features large windows, is deeply moving.

The route also included the Sagrada Familia parish church, by Martorell, Bohigas, and Mackay (MBM) (1965-1969). The architects conceived the church as a juxtaposition of square volumes. In recent decades, architect Jaume Riba has added new ones, and he continues to work on the building, remaining entirely faithful to MBM's original design. "They left everything so well-prepared that when we built a side aisle, the church only closed for two hours, the time needed to demolish the wall that separated it from the central nave," says Jaume Riba.

The third highlight of the day was the Somiatruites hotel and restaurant, by Igualada architect Xavier Andrés Morera, the result of the renovation of the old tannery in the Rec neighborhood. The new section rises as a lightweight metal structure. Among the discoveries are a rooftop garden and the use of hides to add warmth and character to the interiors, where wood predominates.

The RCR, protagonists of the route through La Garrotxa

The next tour is scheduled for this Sunday in Sallent. Trips outside the city of Barcelona will be on a 50-seater bus. Later, the RCR studio will be the focus of the Garrotxa tour (April 12), and the following tour will explore the Cappont campus in Lleida and other unique buildings in the city (April 26). The May and June tours will be dedicated to contemporary architecture in the Tarragona region: the Hifrensa village in Vandellòs (May 10), the city of Reus (May 24), the city of Tarragona (June 7), and Poblenou del Delta (June 21).

From July to October, the routes will take place in the city of Barcelona: the Vall d'Hebron Olympic Village (July 12), iconic residential architecture (July 26), contemporary buildings in the historic fabric (September 13), the Montbau industrial estate (September 27) and a route