“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”
“98% of what gets built today is shit.”
—Frank Gehry, 1929-2025
“I call architecture frozen music.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
The problem
Yes, Barcelona has Sagrada Familia which is bizarre and crazy-cool in its own special-ed kind o’ way, but does Barcelona really have something beyond that to give the city international bragging rights? In this Catalan metropolis on the Med, can you honestly point to something it can offer up to the world that might be more than just merely “modern”… something truly innovative, something really new, something brash, something outrageous?
No, not really (IMHO).
I can think of maybe three that have tried to come close…
- The first that comes to mind is La Torre Glòries (formerly Torre Agbar), that bullet-shaped thing with all the windows that they light up with colors on special occasions.
- Then there is the Fòrum Building, in the Maresme area of the city, which houses El Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.
- And I might add L’Edifici Gas Natural, or Torre Marenostrum, with its unique cantilever design and relecting glass.
But, I think we need something more. Something very, very different to attract the world’s eyeballs… something along the lines of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, or the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. Something even more… well, out there. Something that puts Barcelona on the map for something other than its massive (and repetitive?) collection of modernist facades.
But, where?
I have the perfect place in mind. Raze everything related to the Fira de Barcelona – Recinte Montjuïc between Les Torres Venecianes and La Font Màgica de Montjuïc. Bulldoze it all.
Then, have a contest for all the young, up-and-coming architects of the world. There is a hunk of a lot of creativity out there. Heck, I bet there is some youngster in Barcelona right now with an idea that would roil the architectural establishment. Give him or her the opportunity to shine!
And then, build a world wonder in place of that most decidedly boring and ugly Fira.
What do you think? Could it be done?
How?
EU grants.
Tax the tourists.
Divert some of the Sagrada Familia funds now that the Templo Expiatorio is nearing full completion.
Here is what two other cities in Spain have done… Could we match or exceed their vision?
Bilbao – Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Designed by the Canadian-American Frank Gehry, and inaugurated in 1997, this iconic art museum, built along the Nervion River in downtown Bilbao, appears to have really revitalized the entire riverfront–a brilliant urban renewal plan as it attracts visitors from all over the world.
For me, just seeing the building itself was just as delicious as viewing the amazing, often site-specific and massive, exhibits contained therein.
Gotta start with The Puppy (Jeff Koons, 1992)…
A bit of the interior… I thought high key was a nice way to bring out the beautiful light that permeates every curve, column, and corner.
Valencia – La Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
This amazing collection of…uh… erections, shall we say, opened between 1998 and 2009 at a cost of around 1.2 billion Euros and the area is now considered one of the “12 Treasures of Spain” (a 2007 media contest in which folks voted and lobbied for their top Spanish “treasure”). The main attractions are:
- El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía – Dedicated to music, opera, and theater productions.
- Hemisfèric – IMAX theater and planetarium.
- El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe – All kinds of interactive and rotating science exhibits on multiple floors.
- L’Umbracle – A tranquil, semi-sheltered sculpture garden and meditative space.
- Pont de l’Assut de l’Or – Modernist bridge… also, its peak is the highest point in the city.
- L‘Àgora – A covered plaza for concerts, exhibitions, conferences, and sports events. Also signed as the Caixa Forum.
- L’Oceanogràfic – A very well-designed aquarium (better than the one in Barcelona, IMHO, and the jellyfish exhibits are surreal).
It is an impressive spread of architecture (buildings, bridges, sculptures, gardens, attractions, cafés, bike and walking paths, etc.) along the old, diverted bed of the temperamental River Túria.
Rent a bicycle and roll back and forth along this wonderful green belt on comfortably flat, paved paths. (NOTE: Be sure to stop and play atop the monstrous Gulliver, a 100 times life-sized fiberglass interactive sculpture of the unfortunate Lilliputian hostage, with stairs, ramps, and slides for the kiddies–and old folks who are still kiddies at heart).
