Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Barcelona Since the Olympic Games
Barcelona's latest architectural revolution began in the 1980s, when in the run up to the
1992 Olympics the city set about its biggest phase of renewal since the heady days of
L'Eixample.
The Olympic makeover included the trans-
formation of the Port Vell waterfront, the long
road to resurrecting the 1929 International Ex-
hibition sites in Montjuïc (including the refur-
bishment of the Olympic stadium) and the cre-
ation of landmarks such as Santiago Calatrava's
(b 1951) Torre Calatrava.
Post-1992, landmark buildings still went up in
strategic spots, usually with the ulterior motive
of trying to pull the surrounding area up by its
bootstraps.
One of the most emblematic of these projects
was the gleaming white Museu d'Art Contem-
porani de Barcelona (MACBA), opened in 1995.
The museum was designed by Richard Meier and
incorporates the characteristic elements for
which the American architect is so well known -
the geometric minimalism, the pervasive use of
all-white with glass and steel - and remains
much debated in architectural circles.
Another big recent project (mostly completed
in 2004) is Diagonal Mar, a whole district built in
the northeast coastal corner of the city where before there was a void. Striking additions in-
clude high-rise apartments, waterfront office towers and a gigantic photovoltaic panel that
provides some of the area's electricity.
Modernista Creations
1 LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA (
CLICK HERE
)
2 PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
(
CLICK HERE
)
3 PARK GÜELL (
CLICK HERE
)
4 CASA BATLLÓ (
CLICK HERE
)
5 HOSPITAL DE LA SANTA CREU I DE
SANT PAU (
CLICK HERE
)
6 LA PEDRERA (
CLICK HERE
)
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