The Most Beautiful Buildings To Visit in Barcelona
There are many reasons for design fans to visit Barcelona, and one of the biggest is the city’s unique architecture. Only in Barcelona can you experience Mies van der Rohe’s simple, less-is-more ethos, Antoni Gaudí’s mind-melting Catalan Modernism and every conceivable style in between. Here, we’ve selected some of the most beautiful buildings to visit in Barcelona, from the classic must-sees to more unexpected gems.
1. Torre Glòries
Building
2. The Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion
Building
3. Walden 7
Building
4. La Fábrica
Building
In Sant Just Desvern, next to Walden 7, you’ll also find Ricardo Bofill’s stunning La Fábrica, an old cement factory that the architect stumbled across in 1973. He was seduced by the “contradictions and ambiguity” of the Brutalist space, and set about changing it into both an office for his architecture practice and a home for his family. The colossal building was subtly modified, revealing hidden shapes and spaces. Today, the building is a wonderful juxtaposition of minimalism and abundance, with plants climbing on the exposed concrete walls. The scale of the project is striking. It’s a must-visit for anyone interested in architecture and a testament to how industrial environments can be successfully transformed. La Fábrica isn’t usually open to the public, but keep an eye on Barcelona Architecture Walks for occasional tours.
5. The Sagrada Família
Building, Church
6. Museu Blau
Museum
Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron were chosen to create an event space for the Forum Universal de les Cultures in Barcelona in 2004 and came up with an elevated, flat triangular structure that looks like a cake slice and makes ultimate use of the space it occupies between two streets. Reflective surfaces criss-cross the striking blue building, an example of the architect duo’s eye for materials. Today, the former Forum building houses the Natural Science Museum and is known as the Museu Blau.
7. Les Aigües Library
Library
A 19th-century water tank isn’t an obvious fit for a new library, but in Barcelona, anything is possible. Les Aigües Library (also known as Dipòsit de les Aigües) was built in 1874 by Josep Fontserè and opened as a water tower in 1880. In 1993, architects Clotet and Paricio were commissioned to renovate the space, and in 1999 the building reopened as the Universitat Pompeu Fabra’s library. The renovation respects the original design, which was based on a Roman prototype and features a labyrinth of parallel arches 14 metres (46 feet) high. Before it became a library, the tank had been used as a municipal asylum, a fire service store and a garage of the Municipal Police force, among other things, but the quiet and solitude of a library suits the brick building well. Funnily enough, though Les Aigües is very, very far from a Gaudi design, the young architect worked on it when it was first built – he did the static calculation of the tower and support elements.
8. Barcelona Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
The Botanical Gardens in Barcelona are worth a visit not just for the beautiful flora – the gardens feature vegetation from the five regions in the world that have a Mediterranean-type climate – but also for the architecture by Carlos Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa, who won a competition in 1988 to build a new botanical garden. Their clever concept is based on fractal geometry, which creates an interesting tension with the organic shapes of the foliage. Ferrater also designed the Barcelona Botanical Institute in the gardens, in bare concrete and corten steel and with a linear shape that is a pleasant contrast to the surrounding landscape. The architecture works in harmony with the gardens, making the Botanical Gardens well worth a visit for design fans as well as amateur gardeners.
9. Barceloneta Market
Market
Barceloneta Market is conveniently located near the beach, in the seaside Barceloneta neighbourhood, and was one of the first covered markets in the city. In 2007, architect Josep Miàs gave it new life when he redesigned the building using inspiration from artist César Manrique’s drawings of fish. The final structure features huge, scale-like metal shapes suspended from the roof of the old building, as a nice nod to the nautical surroundings. The Barceloneta Market was designed to form part of the urban fabric of the neighbourhood and retains its place as a social meeting ground for those who visit it. It’s a building that feels like a representation of Barcelona itself, its modern exterior creating something new out of the traditional market inside.
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