The Sant Jordi Club was, in reality, a training ground annexed to the Palau Sant Jordi. For decades, however, the Sant Jordi Club has functioned as a concert hall with the quality of a shoebox, and as a residual piece in the ensemble of the Olympic Ring of Montjuïc. The access and surroundings are rather depressing. The winning project for the new Sant Jordi Club, which was made public this Wednesday, aims to break with all these inertias: the architect Jorge Vidal (Barcelona, 1980) and the Parisian studio Bruther, formed by Stéphanie Bru and Alexandre Thériot; have won the competition convened by Barcelona Serveis Municipals (BSM) with a project that, beyond a new building, includes improving the connection with the southern sector of the Olympic Ring and the landscape restoration of the surroundings. The future Sant Jordi Club will have a capacity for 9,000 people, almost triple the current 3,500. The Vidal i Bruther project is characterized by its flexibility of use. To create good acoustics, it proposes the construction of a rather hermetic acoustic box within the building. The technical equipment will allow it to be divided into smaller spaces with dividing panels, from 1,000 people, and it will also be possible to create specific layouts for events such as congresses and fashion shows. The objective is to be able to hold concerts simultaneously at the Palau Sant Jordi and the Sant Jordi Club and for the audiences to be able to cross paths. The budget is around 70 million euros. The forecast is to inaugurate part of the building in 2029.

The biggest shoebox in Catalonia will get even bigger. Barcelona City Council will build a new Sant Jordi Club on the same plot it currently occupies, expanding its capacity from 4,000 to 9,000. This responds to a long-standing request from the live music industry for a venue with a capacity of more than 4,000. For now, Barcelona can host indoor concerts for all capacities up to 2,000 people (3,000 at the Auditori del Fòrum and 4,000 at the current Sant Jordi Club), and for the Palau Sant Jordi to be a joy, it must attract between 12,000 and 17,000. What's missing is a venue that can meet the demand for concerts that may not fill the Palau Sant Jordi, but can still attract 9,000 spectators.