Contemporary buildings in Barcelona (II)
Not long ago we said that our city is architecturally alive beyond its modernist legacy and we mentioned contemporary buildings in Barcelona that have gained great relevance, such as the Mare Nostrum tower, the Palau Sant Jordi, or the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion. In addition to these, the list continues to grow with new trends and styles that keep our city at the forefront of architecture.
Design Hub
The Disseny Hub is an architectural complex where various public and private entities are grouped together, such as the Barcelona Design Center Foundation (BCD), the Promotion of Arts and Design (FAD), the Barcelona Design Museum, and the El Clot - Josep Benet library. Its strategic location next to the Glòries tower makes it the gateway to the 22@ innovation district and the Poblenou neighborhood.
The historical union that Barcelona has always had with design, with century-old institutions like the FAD, led the City Council to create a unique space where one can understand every dimension of design, with the purpose of being the central hub for a network of institutions, centers, museums, laboratories, companies, and individuals who work with and for design. For this purpose, the design was commissioned to MBM Arquitectes studio, which proposed a building on two levels, one underground taking advantage of the slope between Ávila street and the plaza de les Glòries, which arose from the urbanization of the latter, and another that emerged above the square. Designed with zinc and aluminum plates, it was intended to have an industrial look, reminiscent of the area's past.
Jaume Fuster Library
One of the largest and most modern libraries in Barcelona. It was designed by the architect Josep Llinàs i Carmona and opened its doors in 2005 under the name of the writer Jaume Fuster, one of the promoters of narrative in Catalan. Located in Lesseps square, it is the central library of the Gràcia district. To build it, a deserted plot was chosen after the demolition of some garages, in a project that involved the reorganization of Lesseps square, which was recovered as an urban space. The design and construction of the building earned it the FAD Architecture Award in 2006, one of the most prestigious awards given in Spain. Throughout its four floors, we find different public use spaces, such as an auditorium, multipurpose room, amphitheater, children's area, bar-cafeteria, multimedia spaces, newspaper library, computers, archive, reading rooms, listening rooms, and DVD rooms, among others.
Diagonal Zero Zero Tower
One of the icons of the most contemporary Barcelona. It is an impressive skyscraper with a triangular facade covered in glass and white aluminum designed by the Massip-Bosch architectural studio. Standing 110 meters tall with 24 floors, Diagonal Zero Zero (named for its location at that number on Diagonal Avenue) is an example of cutting-edge technology applied to architecture, as it was erected in eight months, with three shifts per day, seven days a week. In total, the construction period lasted two years until its inauguration.
The building is constructed with a concrete core, while the entire perimeter is made of white aluminum and glass, allowing for maximum utilization of sunlight and creating a fascinating play of lights on the exterior, making it shine like a giant beside the sea. Furthermore, its double layer also serves to absorb the tower's stresses caused by strong winds or earthquakes.
Blue Museum
The Fòrum building is the main remnant of the last major transformation experienced by the city of Barcelona. The celebration of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004 led to the redevelopment of the northern area of the city, where the building known as the Fòrum was installed, a large indigo blue equilateral triangle that rises above the large plaza surrounding it. The three facades, 180 meters long and 25 meters high, stand out for their intense indigo color. A series of metallic strips or cuts allow light to enter through glass panes that create the sensation of water sliding from the ceiling downwards. Inside, it currently houses the Museu Blau, part of the city's Natural Science Museum, as well as the CCIB-International Convention Centre of Barcelona, which features two permanent exhibitions of the city.
Joan Miró Foundation
A space for knowledge and dissemination of the work of Joan Miró, which coexists dynamically with the most contemporary artistic creation. The building that houses the Fundació Joan Miró was constructed by Josep Lluís Sert at the initiative of the painter himself, who envisioned it as a living center where the public could become acquainted with his work as well as the various trends in contemporary art. A place where the content (the exhibited works) is as valuable as the container (the building itself). The design of the enclosure responds to the use of Mediterranean elements, such as the central courtyard, the upper terrace, from which one can enjoy excellent views of Barcelona, or the skylights in one of the most outstanding buildings of rationalist architecture in Barcelona. The construction is inspired by the Modulor, a system of measurements devised by Le Corbusier that established a mathematical relationship between human measurements and nature.
Buildings like the ones mentioned here make Barcelona an essential city to understand, with clear examples, all that contemporary architecture can contribute to its inhabitants. Functionality and beauty at the service of the citizens.
