Final Exhibition

Biblioteca de Jaume Fuster

Biblioteca de Jaume Fuster
2001-2005
Presented by Chris Legatt

Designed by Josep Llinas and Joan Vera in Barcelona, the Jaume Fuster Library was awarded the 2006 FAD Architecture Prize, the most prestigious contemporary design prize to receive in Spain. The project was honored for its delicate implantation in the urban context and the way it opens up new perspectives on the plaza on which it is situated. The expressive volume of the exterior and de abundance of its interiors is richly appreciated. It is one of the most modern and biggest public libraries of the city with an auditorium, amphitheatre, exposition room and special kids-spaces. According to the magazine Descobrir Catalunya the Jaume Fuster library, the Gas Natural headquarters, the Fórum building and the Torre Agbar by Jean Nouvel are some of the new symbols of Barcelona architecture. Even though this public project is highly praised, some critics do say that "the human scale of the irregularly faceted library seems out of step with its urban context". Llinas work forcuses on what has been described as the permanent renunciation of the finished and rounded architectural object. When describing the internal environment Llinas recalls how light and sounds were prioritized in order to balance transmission between areas with natural and artificial light.

Centre Internacional de Convencions de Barcelona

Centre Internacional de Convencions de Barcelona
2000-2004
Presented by Michael Vetter

This is one on the largest Convention Centres in Europe, capable of accommodating 15,000 delegates in an architecturally innovative space facing onto the Barcelona coastline. The main hall in the building is at once structure and abstraction; the outside block speaks to the sea and the sky. The flows, of people and less diverse flows, the forms and the architecture which appears and often disappears among them.

Edifici Fòrum

Edifici Fòrum
2001-2004
Presented by Melissa Trueblood

The 2004 Forum Building was designed by the Swiss architects Jaques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. It was considered by some to be the icon for the "new Barcelona". Controversial is another term used to describe the Forum Building. It is a triangular building measuring 180 meters on each side and 25 meters tall. The blue concrete triangular building was designed to resemble a sponge that is saturated with water blending into the sky and Mediterranean Sea. The structure is lifted off the ground creating a permeable public space where the entrances are located. The way in which the series of courtyards intersects creates unique views and sunlight patterns upon the site. As well as, each courtyard has a different amount of reflective material in them to enhance the sun patterns and experience at ground level. The exterior glazing reflects the sky linking the water covered roof with the water -like soffit below. Water flowing from the roof keeps the roof cool during the hot Barcelonan summers. Located in the blue triangle is the exhibition space, and below grade level is an auditorium space that can seat 3,200 people. This building is a great addition to Barcelona and its cultural influences.

Torre Agbar

Torre Agbar
1999-2004
Presented by Alexander Engle

The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower is a contemporary high rise located in the Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona. The Tower was designed by the French Architect Jean Nouvel, and was completed in 2004. The Building’s inauguration was held September 26th, 2005 and was attended by both the King and Queen of Spain.
Nouvel drew inspiration from Montseraat, a mountain near barcelona, and from a geyser shooting into the air. The building is the third tallest in Barcelona standing at 474 ft. The tower is named after the Agbar Group a major company in Barcelona. The tower houses the company’s offices, and also features conference spaces and a restaurant.
One of the most defining features of the building is it’s facade, which contains over 4,500 LED lights that illuminate the facade in red, blue, pink and yellow. The tower also employs sustainable technology with temperature sensors that adjust the glass blinds on the building’s exterior to control air cooling, and reduce the need for air conditioning.

Mercat de Santa Caterina

Mercat de Santa Caterina
1997-2004
Presented by Fernando Bales

Built on the site of a monastery believed to have begun in 1241, this market was a project taken on by the firm of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue. The focus of the project was to rejuvenate the neighbourhood of Ciutat Vella. A site that had become too congested and in dire need of a renovation.
The market has three floors including loading docks underground and a organic waste depository for the Santa Caterina and La Ribera neighborhoods.
The waving roof becomes like upturned boats held up by massive steel beams that resemble tree like structures. The colorful rooftop was designed to give the future residents of the adjacent buildings something more than just another rooftop to look at.
The sensitivity that the Architects had towards not only their building but the affects that their Architecture would have on the citizens is something to be admired.

Fort Pienc Street Block

Fort Pienc Street Block
2001-2003
Presented by Marcie Franklund

An irregular triangle shaped block in the l’Eixample was transformed in 2003 by Joseph Llinas. The block is bordered by the streets Ali Bei, Sardenya, Sicília and Ribes. A market, primary school, library, and civic center occupy the ground level. The upper floors are comprised of student and elderly housing.
The design for the residences is based on the ideas of calmness, simplicity and ample open space. The units, elevated and turned inward from the street, provide an escape from the busy city below. The interior courtyard provides a link for the many activities and uses supported by the complex.
Circulation throughout the site was inspired by the natural movement observed from both pedestrians and vehicles moving across. The movement flows seamlessly from outside to inside; relating the routes of movement.
The variety of building uses link smoothly together as a result of Llinas’s use of consistent elements of light and rhythm throughout the site.

Torre de Gas Natural

Torre de Gas Natural
1995
Presented by Thomas Adamietz

The area around this site is quite unique in the sense that it is located in a housing district with smaller buildings in the area, not a high rise skyline. To address this the building is broke down into four volumes addressing singularity and establish a dialogue with the elements around it such as the housing district, the twin towers and the freeway. The glass façade reflects each part of the building into each other and picks up the shadows of its neighbors in an interplay of reflections that seems to have the building weave together and dematerialize its edges. The façade is made of 5 different types of glass as to distort and discolor the surroundings reflecting upon so that it would disappear into the fabric of the city and the sky.

Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona

Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
1988-1995
Presented by Michael Vetter

Located in an area that was previously a monastic enclave, this museum establishes a rigorous dialogue between the area’s historic urban fabric and the contemporary art within. The nature of the site’s existing paths and routes is reflected in the building’s organization, most notably in the main entry, which is paralleled by a pedestrian passageway between the museum’s public Sculpture Garden and a newly created plaza in front of the Museum, the Placa dels Angels. This paseo joins the existing pedestrian network running through the old city.

Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona

Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
1991-1994
Presented by Kara Braaten

In 1989, the councils of Barcelona set up the Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture. The architects Helio Piñón and Albert Viaplana, along with Ricard Mercadé, were commissioned for the renovation of this historic building and courtyard, which once housed the Conciliar Seminary and Casa de Caritat but had been vacant for the past 30 years. Work began on the 15,000 m2 modern arts centre in 1991 and was completed in 1993, officially opening in February 1994. The major design element consists of a mirror-like façade which replaced the north wall of the courtyard. This façade is entirely glazed, split in half visually with two shades of glazing, one half slightly darker than the other. The glazing moves vertical reaching the height of the existing wings and then reaches beyond, bending forward, suggesting a covering gesture. However, its the reflections that truly make this courtyard special. This façade reflects the existing historic wings, bringing back references to the past of the building. The mirador above reflects the urban landscape of the city into the courtyard below, showing how important Barcelona is to this space. Today, the CCCB is one of the most visited museums in Barcelona, hosting temporary exhibitions, cinema, concerts, and other cultural events.