Taking a step forward to improve the quality of public space as part of the World Capital of Architecture title the city will hold in 2026, Barcelona is launching a new International Ideas Competition for Young Architects to transform 10 permanent party walls—one in each district—into new facades. Organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, in collaboration with UNESCO and the UIA (International Union of Architects), this call for entries seeks architectural proposals that give meaning to walls that are currently anonymous and unremarkable, exposed in the public realm in a state of permanent temporality.
Party walls in the city of Barcelona. The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Urban Landscape and Quality of Life (IMPU), has identified approximately 6,000 party walls with a significant presence in the city's public space. Ten party walls have been selected for the competition, one for each district. These are building partition walls that will not disappear, as current planning regulations dictate they will not be covered by other buildings; at the same time, they face public spaces, creating a significant visual impact.
