The must-sees of Barcelona, World Capital of Architecture

BarcelonaWhile this weekend the Luz BCN Festival gives the popular starting signal to the Barcelona World Capital of ArchitectureThe official launch will take place on February 12, coinciding with Saint Eulalia's Day. The program for the European Capital of Culture, which will conclude on December 13, coinciding with Saint Lucy's Day, will include more than 1,500 activities, 500 of which are routes and guided tours. There will also be 300 debates and conferences, 143 exhibitions, and 140 workshops. These are some of the must-sees.

A cutting-edge model of the Barcelona to come

The first major event will be the unveiling of the scale model of the Barcelona 2026-2035 Plan, which will take place on the 13th at the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house, where it will be permanently displayed as part of the World Capital's legacy. The model is conceived as a "living object" and will incorporate "the new areas of transformation and the strategic projects that the city is defining for the coming years." One of its key strengths is its high degree of precision, achieved using advanced 3D rendering technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital printing. The model also includes layers of information superimposed through augmented reality to visualize processes such as "the city's historical evolution, ongoing transformation projects, and future proposals."

Major exhibitions of leading Catalan architects

The World Capital will be an oasis for all those who miss having more architecture exhibitions in Barcelona. The authorities have been generous, and there will be something for everyone, but the common denominator is that they will celebrate the great names of different generations. These will be some of the most outstanding exhibitions: a retrospective of the FAD Awards at the Muhba Oliva Artés, Award-winning architecture. 125 years of architecture awards (from June 25 to September 29); The architects' journey. The world at the tip of the pencil and the brush. with drawings by Le Corbusier and some twenty contemporary Catalan and Spanish architects (h2o Gallery, from March 26 to April 24); The construction of the metropolis (Maritime Museum, from May 14 to September 6); Charlotte Perriand (Joan Miró Foundation, from October 6 to March 28, 2027); and Jujol, from Perejaume (MNAC, from November 26 to March 28, 2027). Furthermore, the Sagrada Familia will be the focus of an exhibition at the Palau Robert: Evolution of the construction of the Sagrada Familia basilica and the city of Barcelona (from April 28 to July 5). And the Dhub will host the group exhibitionSanity and passion. News of Catalan architecture (starting in May).

The future of Catalan architecture

What are the youngest architects doing? What are their innovations? To find out, the College of Architects of Catalonia has organized the Novísimos lecture series, dedicated to leading studios headed by architects under 40 years oldThe conferences will take place between March and May throughout the country. Participating in pairs will be studios including Sarquella Torres, H3O, Solanellas Van Noten Meister, Atienza Maure, Alem, and 082ARQ. The aim is for the meetings to serve as an opportunity to exchange ideas and professional perspectives.

The RCR, hosts of the World Capital in La Garrotxa

From Barcelona to Olot. The World Capital will arrive in La Garrotxa with exceptional hosts, the RCR studio, winners of the Pritzker Prize in 2017. The Garrotxa Museum will host a retrospective exhibition of their work. RCR Architects, roots and wings. A journey from the beginning to the present (from March 14 to August 9), curated by Jaume Prat. Later, the RCR will open the project to the public. RCR La Villa. Space Research and Experience Center with two proposals to present two exhibitions, the first of which will be an immersive one created in collaboration with Layers of Reality,Let's start exploring space (starting June 28). The other, titled The enduring relevance of Gaudí (from June 28 to October 15), will collect the projects on the future urban integration of the Sagrada Familia that the participants of the RCR summer workshop have carried out over four years. Also included in the RCR's participation in the World Capital is, on the same day, the conferences of the RCR 2026 Open Program, with speakers such as the Japanese architect Junya Ishigami and the co-founder of the Sónar festival, Enric Palau.

Discover Barcelona step by step

The walking tours will be another of the main activities of the World Capital of Architecture, including those in the modernist Clot district (February 15, May 10, and October 11) and the modernist Poble-sec district (February 15, June 14, and November 8). In Sant Gervasi, a tour will begin at Casa López, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, to explore the evolution of housing during the Gatpac period in the R Group (February 22, June 5, and October 8). Another tour will allow visitors to discover the city's sewers (February 21 and March 11), and on February 19, the Joan Miró Park's regulating reservoir will open to the public. In addition, the Barcelona Municipal Markets Institute has organized an architectural tour of the various markets (one per month until December 12). And starting February 12, ten audio guides for ten emblematic Barcelona buildings will be launched as part of a project promoted by the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia).

The first edition of Open Barri

The city of Barcelona has much to offer beyond its most famous landmarks. The 48h Open House BCN Association is participating in the World Capital of Culture with the first edition of Open Barri, an initiative that invites people to discover Barcelona's neighborhoods "from a more equitable, accessible, and decentralized perspective." Three neighborhoods will take center stage for two weeks, offering visits to iconic buildings and spaces, some little-known and inaccessible, as well as talks, workshops, and discussions. Nou Barris will be featured in winter (February 16 to March 1), Marina in spring (April 13 to 26), and Vallvidrera in summer (June 15 to 28).

The challenges of preserving modern and contemporary architecture as heritage

For architect Dominique Perrault, one of the challenges facing the sector is selecting modern and contemporary buildings that could be designated as heritage sites. "Nobody knows which 20th-century architecture should be protected," he said in an interview on the ARA In April 2024, within the framework of the World Capital, Guiding Architects Barcelona and El Globus Rojo will address how to protect, without fossilizing them, buildings such as the Meridiana Greyhound Track, the former headquarters of the Gustavo Gili publishing house, and the Antituberculosis Dispensary in a debate at the Greyhound Track on March 5, prior to Past Present at the Antituberculosis Pavilion (March 7) and at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and CaixaForum (March 13-20).

Architects of different generations in dialogue

Oscar Tusquets He asserted a few months ago in ARA that architects of his generation are not well-received by their architectural children and that it is their grandchildren who begin to value them. One of them, Igor Urdampilleta, from the Arquitectura-G studio, will join him on February 18th for the first of the "Easygoing Conversations" on various topics organized by Arquinfad at the Il Giardinetto restaurant. The following conversations will feature TEd'A Arquitectes and Josep Ferrando (March 4th), Michèle & Miquel and Creus Carrasco Arquitectos (April 8th), Barozzi Veiga and Maio Arquitectes (May 6th), Carles Enrich and Flores y Prats (June 3rd), and Harquitectes and Bosch Capdeferro (October 9th).

Architecture studios open to the public

Ten Barcelona-based studios will open their workspaces to the public as part of Barcelona World Capital of Architecture, aiming to bring architectural practice closer to the public by showcasing their working methods. The participating studios are: BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, Mariona Benedito + Bayona Valero, b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, L35 Architects, Batlleiroig, External Reference, h3o architects, Benedetta Tagliabue EMBT, GCA Architects, and LAMÁQUINA. Each event will take place in a different studio and will combine a presentation by the firm with a guided tour. Prior registration is required to attend; you can register on the World-Architects website and the Barcelona World Capital of Architecture website.

Co-creation in the neighborhoods

The Contorno Urbano Foundation is known for its work in dignifying spaces and making them more livable through co-creation processes between its mediators—architects and/or artists—and local stakeholders. "Local stakeholders can be a school, a neighborhood association, a community facility; it depends on each district," says the foundation's director, Esteban Marin. These processes can materialize in projects such as a mural in a public space, a small pergola, or a small rooftop garden. Thus, Contorno Urbano will participate in the World Capital of Culture with RETURN: disruptions, gaps and spaces of opportunityA group of residences in different neighborhoods of Barcelona will be tested between March 1 and June 30. The results of each case will be made public at the end of the year.