Barcelona will become the World Capital of Architecture in 2026. As a prelude and with the aim of promoting improvements in the city's public space, the City Council will promote the reconversion of ten party walls into new facades, which will materialize as part of the legacy that the international event will leave in the Catalan capital, and which will also include a large-scale model of the city linked to a space for reflection and dissemination of architecture.
The transformation of the ten party walls will be carried out through an international competition promoted by the City Council together with the Mies van der Rohe Foundation. Endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and following UNESCO criteria, the competition is aimed at architects under 35 from all over the world. The initiative, promoted within the framework of the Setmanes de l'Arquitectura that are being held in the city, aims to bring forth architectural proposals that give meaning to today's anodyne and anonymous walls, which give public space an air of provisionality and unfinished work.
Ten locations, one per district, will see their surroundings transformed through this competition. In Ciutat Vella, Plaza Martina Castells has been chosen, while in the Eixample it has been the property at number 103 on Nàpols street. In Sants-Montjuïc, two buildings on Quetzal street will be transformed; in Les Corts, a property on Avenida Madrid with Lluçà street has been selected, while in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the Jardins de Marià Manent have been chosen. In Gràcia, the initiative will land in the Jardins Caterina Albert, and in Horta-Guinardó, it will do so at 101 Dante Alighieri street. The well-known Charlot square in Nou Barris, Grau square in Sant Andreu, and 321 Espronceda street in Sant Martí, complete the ten spaces, selected based on their landscape impact and in accordance with the properties of the buildings.
The period for submitting proposals to the competition will be open until August 5, and the winners will be chosen by an international juryTo choose the proposals that will transform these party walls, elements such as the proposal's capacity to improve the urban quality of the space; sustainability, and biodiversity and the creation of spaces for protected fauna will be taken into account. The possibility of increasing the quality of life of residents will also be valued, with proposals such as opening windows and balconies, explained the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, and the chief architect of the City Council, Maria Buhigas.
The period for submitting proposals to the competition will be open until August 5, and the winners will be chosen by an international jury made up of architects and architecture and urban planning professionals. The winners of the competition, which has a prize of 52,500 euros, will be announced on September 25. The calendar has been designed with one objective: to inaugurate the transformed party walls in 2026 as part of the program of activities of the World Capital of Architecture.
To materialize the winning proposals, a budget of 5.3 million euros has been foreseen. The City Council will assume the cost of the reforms, with the exception of new window and balcony openings, which will be assumed 50% by the properties of each home.
The City Council has counted close to 6,000 party walls with a strong presence in public space, of which 348 are permanent and exceed 100 square meters of surface. In this context, it has promoted the competition with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of Barcelona residents, according to Bonet: "Improving the quality of public space is also guaranteeing the dignity of all residents wherever they live, and it is building a more resilient and healthy city for everyone."