The former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house will become Barcelona's House of Architecture
The new facilities will be managed by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation
BarcelonaThe creation of a museum in Barcelona dedicated to Catalan architecture and urban planning has been a recurring topic of debate, yet it has not yet materialized. The project for the Museum of Architecture and Urbanism of Catalonia, presented a decade ago by Ferran Mascarell and Santi Vila, was shelved. Later, the Reina Sofía Museum remained only as the archive of Josep Antoni Coderch, one of the most influential architects of the second half of the 20th century in Catalonia. And in Madrid, the House of Architecture emerged, promoted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda. Now, the situation in Catalonia is about to change: as explained this Tuesday by the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house will become the House of Architecture of Barcelona, managed by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation. Collboni made the announcement during the presentation of the program for Barcelona's designation as World Capital of Architecture, of which the former Gustavo Gili headquarters will be one of the key venues.
It is planned that, after its designation as European Capital of Architecture, the headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house will continue to host activities in the architecture sector as the Barcelona House of Architecture, but Collboni has not provided further details about the center's ambitions. It will share the name of the Madrid House of Architecture, an institution dedicated to architecture in Madrid. This first facility could have been built in Barcelona. In any case, the future Barcelona House of Architecture would continue the work carried out by institutions such as, in their respective fields, the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, the Architects' Association of Catalonia, the Palau de la Virreina, the Dhub, and the Palau Robert.
More than 1,500 activities to bring architecture to all audiences
Regarding the program for Barcelona's designation as World Capital of Architecture, the official kickoff will be an institutional event on February 12, coinciding with Saint Eulalia's Day. The public inauguration, meanwhile, will be a large-scale edition of the Llum Festival, which this year will take place across all ten of the city's districts. The program for the capital, which will conclude on December 13, coinciding with Saint Lucy's Day, will include more than 1,500 activities, 500 of which are guided tours and visits. There will also be 300 debates and conferences, 143 exhibitions, and 140 workshops. Among the highlights are the unveiling of the scale model of the Barcelona 2026-2035 Plan at the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house (February); the COAC's "Newest" series, which will showcase young Catalan architecture studios led by professionals under 40 (April); and the exhibition Sanity and passion. News of Catalan architecture. at the Dhub (starting in May).
The different districts will become protagonists of the capital for a month, through buildings and infrastructures linked to the history of water in Barcelona: the Fort Piense in Eixample (February), the extension of the Joan Oliver Pere Quart Civic Center in Les Corts (March), Cort-sur (March), Cort-Monte, the former Santa Creu Mental Institute, which is currently the headquarters of the Nou Barris district (May), the Casa de les Alturas in Horta-Guinardó (June), the Oliva Artés Barcelona History Museum in Sant Martí (July and August), the Rei Martí water reservoir in Sarrià (October), the Gràcia district headquarters (November), and El Born Barcelona History Museum in Ciutat Vella (December).
Furthermore, the capital status will leave a legacy in the city of Barcelona: specifically, A gigantic model of the city and 10 party walls in different districts transformed into "spaces full of life", the result of an international competition of ideas for young architects promoted by the Barcelona City Council.
In its year as World Capital of Architecture, with a budget of 11 million euros, Barcelona takes over from Copenhagen. This celebration is promoted by the Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Government (Generalitat), and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, and involves the participation of some 170 organizations. In parallel, the city will host a new edition of the World Congress of the International Union of Architects from June 28 to July 2. Furthermore, the Catalan Government will organize commemorative events for the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death.
