Updated: March 2021
Spain is one of the
easiest places in the world to travel to. Barcelona and probably also Madrid
are on most people’s Spain itinerary. You plan a visit to Barcelona and created
a list of things that you would love to see that includes: take photos of the
Basilica Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo and La Pedrera, drink Cortado on a tiny
square in the Gothic Quarter, play princess in the fairy-tale like Park Guell,
stroll crazy-busy La Rambla, eat and drink sumptuously on la Boqueria market,
fill up your vitamin D levels on Barceloneta beach and get a contemporary
culture-fix at the CCCB in Raval.
If you are looking to
discover the whole of Barcelona you need to see the geographic centre of
Barcelona too. Miguel Angel, the founder of Barcelona Architecture Walks, and his
team offer five different tours that allow locals and tourists to see the city
through the eyes of an architect. One of the tours, Barcelona and the Future, leads
through the geographic centre of town, through the Barcelona borough of @22,
also known as the innovation district.
I meet architect and
tour guide Carola and the other guests, who are visiting from Australia and the
US, right in the middle of Barcelona. As I said, Placa les Glories de Catalunya
is the geographic centre of town but in reality this plaza has forever felt
isolated from the rest of Barcelona. Over the centuries it never actually
managed to become the centre in the true sense of the word. There were other
squares more popular because more appealing to the by now 1.6 million
inhabitants of Barcelona. This is a non-place, neglected in the past, a place
that did not hold enough significance (other than being a traffic junction) to
be referred to as a place.
Architects and urban
planners might have felt sorry for it and also seen a chance to make their
wildest dreams come true. With their ideas and knowledge they started guiding Barcelona
and especially this quarter of town into a bright and shining future.
Torre Glòries, previously known as Torre Agbar |
It is good to know your roots - Barcelona
Carola fondly admits she
is never happier than when talking and thinking about architecture and the
members of the group all agree that if we are travelling to a place we want to learn
about its heritage to understand the present and the future. This town had a thriving
textile industry through the nineteenth and twentieth century, living
conditions for factory workers were poor. We follow the dynamic developments of
this part of Barcelona and stop at selected architectural examples.
Many of the buildings that are
former industrial and commercial properties are now heritage listed and
integrated perfectly into the new structures. It is so hard to believe that
this area was simply abandoned industrial land until the town’s people re-discovered
the area and began to live out their visions. The tour is packed with
architectural stories.
Urban planning in the innovation district @22Barcelona |
Barcelona Design Museum and Sagrada Familia |
Projects are carried out to
have a positive impact on Barcelona. Architects, planners and the council work
together to improve public spaces, introduction of better lighting, diversion
of traffic to reduce noise and pollution, the widening of pavements to encourage
a more outdoorsy- and community focused lifestyle. The concept of the
Superblock, where the numbers of streets that cars can access is limited, stems
from Barcelona, and you can see it ‘live and in colour’ in Poblenou. The aim is
to make city blocks livable again, these days Barcelona’s air quality often
rises above set EU safe levels.
There are more than 7,000 companies and shops with
90,000 workers in 22@. There are plenty of urban planning role models for other
towns from around the world. It is all about social cohesion and sustainable
planning, and social housing projects convince more and more people to choose
to live in this part of town and not only work here.
Walk through Poblenou |
@22Barcelona: Old Supports New |
Barcelona and the Future
A striking looking 38
storey skyscraper built by star architect Jean Nouvelle is what you see first when
you walk towards @22. We find out why it is abandoned for the time being. The
smell of Camomile is abundant on still unused land. We stroll through the
Design Hub, covered in Alloy panels that houses a museum, a conference centre,
workshops and a restaurant (I recommend having lunch here after the tour ends).
At the University campus we learn how the city brings together knowledge and
innovation and how the energy infrastructure connects @22 with the rest of town.
The Architecture Tour Through Barcelona You Want
Carola explains things in
detail, and finds a way to do this apt even for non-architects. I loved that
she took the time to explain Barcelona's role in Catalonia, in Spain and Europe
and I walked away and felt that I got first-hand expert information about the
future of Barcelona. Malcolm X was so right when he said “the future belongs to
those who prepare for it today.” After the tour you will see that Barcelona is
ready.
Win two tickets for a 2.5 hour guided Barcelona Architecture Walk
Today I’m going to get you two tickets for a 2.5
hour guided architecture walk in Barcelona. Since I loved the tour so much Barcelona Architecture Walks was so lovely to sponsor two tickets for my readers. You can choose from five options -
Barcelona and Urbanism - Barcelona and the Sea -Barcelona and Gaudi - Barcelona
and the Market - Barcelona and the Future. The tickets are valid for one year
from the date of issuing, and dates are subject to availability. The prize draw
is open to every citizen from all over the world. The prize cannot be
exchanged, refunded, sold or converted into a cash alternative.
I make this as easy as possible for you. To enter,
you simply post an architecture themed photo in your timeline on Instagram
using the hashtag #BCNArchitectureTheTouristin and explain briefly, in a
few words, in the caption why you believe a guided architecture tour in
Barcelona is a great thing to do. Entries close on Thursday, 18th May. I can’t wait to hear from you and to browse
your photos and wish you the best of luck.
Torre Glòries and view over Placa les Glories de Catalunya |
Would you like to read more about Spain?
Barcelona
Madrid
Mallorca
Here you can find out more about Barcelona Architecture Walks and book tours online.
From Berlin with love