Maria Buhigas and Daniel Mòdol, in Moments Estel·lars to delve into the Capital of Architecture

Barcelona speaks through its architecture. From the organic forms of Modernism to the rectilinear lines of rationalism and new icons that define the city's silhouette, Barcelona's architecture has attracted the eyes of the world for decades. So much so that the city will serve as World Capital of Architecture 2026, a year during which it will become the global epicenter of this discipline, technique, and art.

Designated as World Capital by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA), Barcelona will be filled with architecture with more than 1,500 activities throughout the year. In addition, it will become the only city in the world to repeat as host of the UIA Congress. The first was in 1996, and this edition will focus on the work of architects "on a planet in transition".

Thus, Barcelona's role in architecture and its development is recognized worldwide. But, what are the reasons that have positioned it as an international reference in this field? Why will Barcelona become the first city to host the world congress of architects a second time? The new session of the Moments Estel·lars cycle, organized by The New Barcelona Post, aims to answer these questions, and also to generate new ones. The session will take place on Thursday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Casa Seat; to attend, prior free ticket reservation is required.

The session will feature Barcelona's Chief Architect, Maria Buhigas, along with architect and urban planner Daniel Mòdol. In a conversation moderated, as usual, by journalist and UPF-BSM professor Toni Aira, both will review the differential points of Barcelona's architecture, its current situation, and where it is headed. At a time of redefinition of urban design looking at sustainability and the use of cities, the capital status will allow Barcelona to strengthen its voice in this global debate.

The session will also address the impact that being World Capital of Architecture can represent for the city, both in its international projection and in the legacy it can leave in Barcelona. The meeting, which has the support of Casa Seat, Barcelona Global and Must Media Group, will serve to analyze how Barcelona can take advantage of this occasion to define how to project itself into the future from architecture. All framed in the opportunity to bring architecture closer to the citizens and to promote architectural culture among Barcelonans, and to place architecture as an essential element in the response to challenges such as access to housing and climate change.

Buhigas will address it from the broad perspective that being the city's Chief Architect gives her. With a degree in Architecture from ETSAB (UPC) and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University (UC-New York), Buhigas has had her own studio since 2014, specializing in urban strategy and urban planning. As an architect and urban planner, she has collaborated with the UN-Habitat agency on projects in countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and has served as an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

Buhigas, also a member of the board of trustees of the Pasqual Maragall Catalunya Europa Foundation, was part of the municipal company Barcelona Regional between 1999 and 2013, and of the Urban Strategy Department from 2006 to 2013, before setting up her own studio. Chief Architect of the city since 2023, she has also been a member of the scientific advisory board of the European agency Espon and a councilor of the Barcelona City Council between 2019 and 2020.

The architect shares this facet of former councilor with Mòdol: the also architect and urban planner served in the city council in the previous term, between 2015 and 2019. Also an architect from ETSAB, Mòdol launched his own architecture and urban planning studio in 2004.

Since then, he has worked on projects such as the organization and transformation of Glòries into the large square it is now, and on the remodeling of the Meridiana at its southern end, among other interventions that define the city. With several books on urban planning under his belt, Mòdol has also been a professor at Elisava and ETSAB itself. With this Barcelona perspective and as references of the city's current architecture, Mòdol and Buhigas will delve into the reasons that have placed the World Capital of Architecture 2026 in Barcelona, as well as the legacy it will leave in the city.