Tag: catalonia | ArchDaily

Seven Finalists Announced for the 2026 EU Mies Awards for Contemporary European Architecture

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:30:00 +0000

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the seven finalist projects for the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Awards, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. The selection follows the announcement of 410 nominated works in November and a shortlist of 40 projects revealed in early January. Of the seven finalists, five have been selected in the Architecture category and two in the Emerging category. According to the jury chaired by Smiljan Radić, the finalist projects are exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture, demonstrating how the discipline can respond simultaneously to specific local conditions and broader social, cultural, and environmental challenges. The selected works range from interventions in former industrial sites, small villages, and peripheral urban areas to carefully calibrated projects within larger cities. Across these varied contexts, the projects show how architecture can transform overlooked or ordinary settings into inclusive, high-quality spaces for living, learning, and social exchange.

'All Architecture is Water Architecture': Eva Franch i Gilabert, Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño on Catalonia's Pavilion in Venice

Agustina Iñiguez — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 04:00:00 +0000

As part of the collateral events of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Institut Ramon Llull presents the project "Water Parliaments: Projective Ecosocial Architectures", bringing together the waters of Lleida, Girona, Tarragona, Barcelona, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and beyond to address the water crisis as an interconnected ecosocial, cultural, and political issue. Framing architecture as a tool for critical speculation and collective action, the project advocates for the imagining of future scenarios grounded in coexistence—interweaving the human and non-human, the natural and artificial, the technological and vernacular, the global and the local.

The European AHI Award 2025 Celebrates Six Public Heritage Interventions Across Europe

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The European AHI Award recognizes architectural heritage interventions across Europe, highlighting their role as a forward-looking model for 21st-century architecture with tangible social, environmental, and economic benefits. In its seventh edition, the award honored six projects, four first prizes and two special mentions, during a ceremony held in early June at the Paranimf Ceremonial Hall of the Escola Industrial in Barcelona. A total of 238 projects from architecture studios in 24 European countries were submitted. The selected winners are located in Antwerp, Kortrijk, Olot, Ancient Corinth, and Milan.

11 Collateral Events to Explore While Visiting the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 06 May 2025 06:30:00 +0000

As one of the most important and visited contemporary architecture exhibitions worldwide, the Venice Architecture Biennale extends beyond the grounds of the Giardini and the Arsenale, aiming to engage the entire city in discussions on relevant issues, challenges, and opportunities within the architectural profession. This year's Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, explores the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," inviting visitors to consider how architecture, technology, and nature intersect to shape the future.

Barcelona Plans to Ban Tourist Apartment Rentals to Ease the Housing Crisis

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The Spanish city of Barcelona, one of Europe's top tourist destinations, has announced a plan to ban apartment rentals to tourists by November 2028. The move, announced by Mayor Jaume Collboni, aims to alleviate the long-standing housing crisis, lower prices for residents, improve livability, and increase the city’s affordable housing stock. Over the past 10 years, the rise in short-term rentals has driven rents up by 68%, and the cost of buying a house by 38%, contributing significantly to a cost-of-living crisis.

MIRALLES Series of Exhibitions and Events Celebrates the Work of the Distinguished Architect

Andreea Cutieru — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 05:30:00 +0000

The Fundació Enric Miralles has launched MIRALLES, a series of exhibitions and events celebrating the work of the influential Catalan architect, whose passing marked twenty years in 2020. Curated by Benedetta Tagliabue and Joan Roig i Duran, the program will unfold over the course of this year in different emblematic venues in Barcelona. The first three exhibitions of the circuit inaugurated this month showcase the multiple facets of Enric Miralles through archival materials ranging from drawings and collages to photography and models, exploring his legacy in architecture and artistic creation.

How to Increase a City’s Affordable Rental Housing Units? The case of Barcelona

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 05:00:00 +0000

City officials in Barcelona have found an incentive to help increase the city’s available rental housing units. Authorities are threatening to forcefully buy empty properties to create more affordable housing if landlords don’t manage to fill their vacant rental assets within a certain time frame.

"Catalonia in Venice" Highlights the Role of Architecture in Climate Emergency and Public Health Crisis

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 06:30:00 +0000

Catalonia in Venice - air/aria/aire, part of the Collateral Event of the Biennale Architettura 2021, is an exhibition curated by architect Olga Subirós, commissioned by the Institut Ramon Llull, with the participation of 300.000 Km/s, an urbanism studio in macro data-based strategic planning. Reflecting on the central theme of the Biennale “How will we live together?” the project investigates the role of architecture and urbanism within the context of the climate emergency and the public health crisis.

Colonias Viladoms Houses / OAB

Katerina Gordon — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 03:00:00 +0000

On behalf of the NGO Fundació Catalana de l'Esplai, we are working on several projects of colony houses in different areas of the Catalan geography such as Castellbell i el Vilar, Navés, Sant Joan de les Abadesses, ... with the criteria of sustainability, durability , adaptability and austerity that characterize the buildings we have made for them. The main premises that were taken into account when thinking about the new shelter were the following:

Bird's-eye Barcelona

Dima Stouhi — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Exploring the streets of foreign cities is profoundly engaging. Whether it's meeting new cultures, observing new architectures, or trying new food, travelers usually go for the typical sightseeing activities. However, some have quite a unique take on tourism and choose to think outside the box - or in this case, above it.

RCR Arquitectes to Design Catalan Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale

Nicolás Valencia — Fri, 12 May 2017 11:01:00 +0000

The winners of the 2017 Pritzker Prize, RCR Arquitectes, has been selected to lead the proposal and design of the Catalan pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale. The news was announced yesterday by Santi Vila, Minister of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia, during the opening of this year’s Venice Biennale of Art.

AD Classics: Kafka's Castle / Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

Luke Fiederer — Tue, 09 May 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Standing on a rise overlooking the Spanish Mediterranean coast, there is an odd structure which could easily be mistaken for an vast pile of forgotten blocks. Kafka's Castle, built in 1968, was one of the earlier projects completed by Ricardo Bofill, a Spanish Postmodern architect known for apartment buildings as monumental as they were thought-provoking. While his later work indulged in Postmodern historicism, the modular and mathematically-derived Kafka's Castle was an unabashed break from any local or global tradition – as much the case now as it was in the 1960s.

Nikken Sekkei to Design New Camp Nou

Nicolás Valencia — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Japanese practice Nikken Sekkei, in collaboration with Joan Pascual-Ramon Ausió Arquitectes, has been chosen to design the new Camp Nou stadium for FC Barcelona, according to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. The winning team was chosen over three other finalists: HKS + COX + Batell i Roig Arquitectes; BIG + IDOM + BAAS Arquitectes; POPULOUS + Mias Arquitectes + RCR Arquitectes.

Video: The Six Towers that will Crown the Sagrada Família

David Douglass-Jaimes — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 08:00:00 +0000

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, more commonly known simply as the Sagrada Família, has been under construction in Barcelona since 1882, but now completion of the church is finally in sight. As this video from the Basilica’s YouTube page illustrates, the six final towers are set to be completed by 2026, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the Catalan architect who devoted much of his life to the design and construction of the building. These six towers, representing the Virgin Mary, the four evangelists, and Jesus Christ, will be the last and tallest of 18 spires on the church, and will make the Sagrada Família the tallest church building in the world.

Universities from Barcelona and Zurich Selected to Create a New Design School in China

Eric Oh — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 06:00:00 +0000

Through a competition limited to some of the most prestigious universities, The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) have been chosen to work with the Harbin Institute of Technology of China (HIT) to create a new school of design, architecture and urbanism in Shenzhen. The new centre will be built on HIT's campus and house up to 1,200 post-graduate and doctoral students, with facilities for research, education and production. Read more about this collaboration after the break.

Yael Reisner + Peter Cook Create Installation to Celebrate Democracy Through Marriage

Rory Stott — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Created for Barcelona's BCN RE.SET festival organized this year by the Fundació Enric Miralles as part of the city's Tricentenari BCN celebrations, this installation by Yael Reisner and Peter Cook responds to the theme of 'democracy'. The design, titled "Take My Hand" takes inspiration from a number of factors - notably the location of the site outside Barcelona's Civil Registration building, and the idea that the protection of human rights and civil liberties is one of the fundamental tenets of democracy.

Barcelona Commemorates 300 Years of Catalan Spirit With 7 Public Installations

Rory Stott — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 01:00:00 +0000

Every year, citizens of Catalonia commemorate the events of September 11th 1714, a key date in the War of the Spanish Succession that has come to symbolize what Voltaire called "the Barcelonans' extreme love of freedom." With this year marking the 300th anniversary of these events, Barcelona Cultura enlisted the Fundació Enric Miralles to curate 7 public installations around the city as part of its Tricentenari BCN program.

Grafting Architecture: Catalonia at Venice

Karissa Rosenfield — Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Catalonia is returning for the second time to the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale with the Collateral Event Arquitectures Empeltades / Grafting Architecture. Referencing the botanical process of grafting, the proposal seeks to elucidate the changes taking place in contemporary Catalan architecture by highlighting processes in which “living traditions” are being updated as new.